


Forget-Me-Not

by Twilightzion



Series: The collection of chaos [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Asgardian love a big party, Centaurs, Creature Harry Potter, Creature Inheritance, Don't Like Don't Read, Dreams vs. Reality, Dueling, Falling In Love, First Kiss, First Time Blow Jobs, Flashbacks, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Good Loki (Marvel), Harry Potter Has a Different Name, Harry having a hard time, Hurt Loki (Marvel), Language of Flowers, Light Bondage, Light Dom/sub, Loki (Marvel) Does What He Wants, Loki (Marvel) Has Issues, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, M/M, Master of Death Harry Potter, More Fluff, Mystical Creatures, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-War, Protective Harry, Protective Loki (Marvel), Recovered Memories, Self-Sacrifice, So are the boys (͡° ͜ʖ ͡°), Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Tags Are Fun, Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change, Wedding Night, Weddings, Work In Progress, it is in two places at once, rapid development in feelings, still post war, young loki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:48:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 73,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26703970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twilightzion/pseuds/Twilightzion
Summary: The war is over and Voldemort is dead. Harry begins to have strange headaches and then the dreams starts. The dreams are as real as they can be to him, it is almost as they could been memories. But that would be impossible, right? Because his name is not Harald and he does not know anyone by the name of Loki. That, for the record, aparently was his soul mate and let's not forget that tiny detail that he is a prince of Asgard. Harry would have known, especially if he also was engage to said man, which he was not.... right?But  could  he really denied the blooming feeling of love that filled his whole body and mind as he thought about the trickster god? or the strange development of both his physic and magic.  Why could his life never be easy?Or: a love story that trancending both time and relms, long lost soulmates finly is reunited in the brink of war.
Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Harry Potter
Series: The collection of chaos [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2179152
Comments: 212
Kudos: 738
Collections: Harry Potter Crossovers, Marvel Verse FF





	1. First memory

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Loki/ Harry potter story, don't like, don't read, is that simple enough to understand? *Smile sweetly*, this kind of comment will only be used to feed the flame that is burning inside of me. 
> 
> I know there are mistakes because I suck on grammar and English is my second languish, so I wrights this sort of thing for exactly that reason. I don't have any beta so you have to endure a little wrong doing. I hope it will not interfere with your overall reading.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soulmate AU
> 
> Fandom: Marvel / Thor / Avengers
> 
> Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction, where I use characters from the Harry Potter world (by J.K. Rowling) and from the MCU (own by Marvel studios)
> 
> Pairing: Loki/ Harry 
> 
> Warnings: Harry has another name 50% of the time, Past-memory revival, and more, see tags,  
> M/M. This will be slash, as you can see in the pairings, and in the summary, if you don’t like it, don’t read it. And I really don’t care why you don’t like it so spare me the pleasure of that kind of comment, capish?. ( But if you -like me- enjoy this then by all means, continue and I would love to hear what you think of it ;) )
> 
> AND it's going to be a while for the Avengers arc to begin, so no Harry/ Loki yet in that matter. buuuuuttt there will be plenty of past Harry/Loki, smut, lemon, and fun, but also angst and Death.

**~`*´~**

A green and radiating meadow filled the view right in front of him as the dusk started to creep closer. All around him, there were wildflowers in thousands, and they all looked like they greeted him, almost like they were virtually bowing before him in a non-existence wind. 

He could feel the sensation of wild energy not far from him, and then he suddenly started to hear the waterfall as he strolled closer to it. He could soon smell it in the air as a fresh, clean sensation washed over him, and he smiled. There not far from the small waterfall, was the most beautiful pound he ever had laid eyes on, the water lily was in full bloom, and the willow bedside the shore dipped its long branches in the water and created a veil around the massive trunk. Fireflies had even started to wake up and was flying sleepy close to the ground, and the whole view created an almost full vision of a fairy tale. There were many beautiful flowers in different radiant colors that adored every bare spot between the trees that surrounded the meadow, and a small rabbit was searching for roots in the sea of the flower.

The boy, maybe around ten or eleven summers old, walked along the rippling stream of crystal clear water and looked down at the stones in the river as he walked along. He was small for his age; his jet black hair had a blue-green hue in it when the last rays of the sun were illuminating him. 

In honor of the day, he had decided to make his adventure a little bit further out than he usually did in the realm. He had tied his hair in a high ponytail, but despite the high prison, his hair hung stubbornly down over his shoulders in uncontrolled tassels. He was wearing a white tunic with black trousers. The dark green boots went to his knees in a protective gesture, and around his middle hung a belt with a short sword and a bag of the most necessary things he could think of using. 

The small boy stiffened as his body started to feel strange, for lack of better word. He looked around as he began to follow the peculiar sensation. He was here for a reason. But why he had chosen to go this way, he didn't exactly know. It was like a gnawing feeling was feasting within him, telling him to follow this feeling, that this was something he could not reject. 

It was not only that sensation that had caught the young seeker's attention. There was something in the air, something bitter and sour, and it felt _wrong_. It was the smell of something that was waiting for death and yet not.

He had always had it easy to feel death; maybe it was only natural for him to feel it. The realm of the dead was considering him as one of them that could represent the god of death, as one of his choose ones and heir. But he had yet taken the test, right now he was only a candidate for that title and hadn't inherited anything. It was like death waited for something or someone to start the trail, but he had no idea of who. 

Whatever it was that called upon him, he was not afraid of the feeling of death. Death was one of the most natural things that could happen to them and something that no one could avoid. And he felt safe in the thought that when death would come for him, he would welcome it like a dear old friend, but perhaps not yet, he still had a long life in front of him. What he indeed was afraid of was when someone took the choice away from him, not to be able to choose for himself. He hates when someone even took a choice from him, how small it was, he decided over his own life, and what he did with it, good and bad things included. 

But what if the day came when someone took the choice from him? when the only resort would be death no matter what he did. 

The young boy shook his head to dispel the dark thoughts that were whispering in his ear. He felt his throat tighten, and he had a hard time getting air at the terrible idea. He took a deep breath to gather himself and closed his viridian colored eyes; he let the magic flow out of him in soft waves. He was searching for whoever required help. But where was it? 

He opened his eyes again as he scanned the forest and fixed them in the direction where the feeling was most potent, and he began to jog in that direction without any more delay. He pulled his hand over his face to get rid of the long carbon black hairs that had fallen out of its prison. He stroked it behind his half-pointed ears in an attempt to get rid of it from his field of vision. Darkness began to fall around him, but he felt that whoever it was was close, and he tried to look at every direction at once.

And he had been right, It was not long before he more or less tripped over something that was lying in the way on the ground, and he fell straight down to meet the hard ground underneath him. 

The young green-eyed man swore up a storm that would make his uncle proud of his vocabulary and his mother white of dread as she probably would tell him to go and wash his mouth.

He took a deep breath and felt the pain as it spread along with his now battered knees and elbows. The young boy turned around to glare at the horrible root, or whatever it had been, that trip him. But no root met his sight, no it was a pair of black leather boots. He let his eyes wander up to the brown trousers and gaped in shock when he saw that it was not a root at all. He was a young man, dirty and bloodied; his breathing was shaky and strained. It almost sounded like he had something in his throat that he was gargling. It did not take him long to realize that the feelings of death came from this young man. 

Harald, as the young boy was named, quickly threw himself down beside the man and started to shake in a try to wake him up, but without any success. 

The unconscious dark-haired man's head just lulled from side to side in an sluggish motion. Harald quickly began to look over the many wounds that adorned the young man's body. The clothes were torn and bloody, and the skin underneath was red and irritated in some places; how long had he been here? He could also feel the fever ravaging his body, a clear sign that the young man's life was in far great danger. 

" Shit, " he muttered. "Okay, okay, I can handle this. First, we have to wash the wounds." 

Then, Harald began to wash every infected wound on the body; he tore open the young man's clothes so that they would not get stuck in the new blood and started to use a from one of the more extensive wounds over the man's chest. 

The smell of death was heavy, and he could now almost see the dark mist settling over the broken body in front of him. But he tried to ignore it. He could not give up now because even though the fog of death was dense around him, there was still a hue of golden dust in it as well and something purple? The strange dust particle made him stop on what he was doing. 

The night had now completely fallen, and the only light he had to work in was from the moon and the small ball of light he had created. The purple dust was abnormal, was it perhaps poison? It would explain the rapid heartbeat he felt under his hand, lying steady on the man's chest. 

Harald picked up the cloth again and began to clean the worst wound while he now began to work on it with his magic as well. He let his magic gently seep into the young man's wounds and skin, careful as he tested if the other men would accept his magic, and it was, without even a single reaction, the body took his magic. It was instead as if the body was sucking up to his magic like a dry sponge instead. It made him push in more and more energy as he replaced the damp cloth with a clean one.

He does not remember how long he worked, but when he started to feel how the fog of death slowly disappearing, and the wounds were no longer as infected as before, he stopped and fell on the back of his rear with heavy breaths. His whole body shook with bone-deep exhaustion as he sat down for a few minutes, just breathing and listening to the young man's now much calmer and steadier breath; the fever is still raging in his body but not as high as before. 

Harald got up unsteadily, and he felt his legs tremble at every step he took, but he began to slowly get to the small stream that was a stone's throw from his body. His magic was low; he had no idea that it would take so much magic to heal someone. His mother made healing always look so simple, and he had done what she used to do when he got small wounds or even a broken bone. However, this wound had been deeply infected and filled with poison. 

Same thing, the young man now had a better chance of survival. Harald squeezed out the pink pieces of cloth that had only been his sweater a few hours earlier. It was a hot summer evening, so he did not need it anyway. 

Harald suddenly froze when his gaze fell on his wrist, the wrist where his soul mate's mark adorned and had ever since he had been born. All higher beings in the realms had a soul mate somewhere, but they did not know who they were. It was almost like a game to the gods to find you chosen one. The mark was often a mixture of the two souls, and in its partner's vicinity and with growling emotion, the pattern would evolve and grow. Where it was located were differs from persons and person.

But even if the position differed, the motive was the same. Harald's mark was adored with green vines and small dots of flower buds that have not yet bloomed. They had always been in a harmonious, constant green color, and sometimes he could imagine them moving. Almost as if they were lazily blowing in a wind that only they could feel, but he probably imagined things. The vines were braided towards each other was protecting a golden bandage that was barely visible under the vines. As they tried to cover it up and let no one look at it. His mother teased him that his soul mate probably was very possessive of what was his. 

But what caught his attention, at this moment, was that his mark had suddenly started to grow end develop—something it had never done before. The stems had started pulled up towards his elbow, and he could see how a blue color had begun to adorn the otherwise green buds. The gold ribbon itself had not changed, but golden stripes had started to meander along the stems of the smaller flowers that still was raping itself around the golden branches. 

He opened his mouth in wonder, but could not get any sounds out from his lips as he carefully stroked the flowers with gentle fingers. This could not be possible. He could not have such a stroke of luck…. Or was it bad luck? Anyway, there was no way that the hurt man was his soul mate.

Harald turned his gaze back to the unconscious young man, and he had to wrestle with his own need to tear off the man all of his clothes to search and see if he had the same mark somewhere on his body. There was nothing on his chest, so it was either on his back or legs.

But the mere thought of doing such a thing, when the man was unconscious, felt like he was as bad as the one that had hurt him.

But could it be? That this badly injured man was his soul mate? Who was he? What was he doing here? Was his life in danger? Who had tried to kill him? he had so many questions that were jumping around his head.

He cautiously went back to the young man and sat down near his head and bathed his forehead gently, in the dim glow that his ball of light gave off, he could see him much better now than before. He had sharp cheekbones, a straight nose that pointed down to full lips; he let his gaze sweep over the overall handsome face, which was now free of dirt and blood. His hair was half long and curled around his ears, and Harald could not resist the childish thought of feeling if his hair were as smooth as it looked. 

With a gentle movement, he let his fingers gently touch the black hair that fell like silk between his narrow fingers, and he had to hold back a giggle sound that threatened to bubble up. The best compare he could make of the feeling was like pulling his hand through a silk textile. He stopped the motion as the young man suddenly gave off a moan, and he pulled back his hand as if he had burned himself.

" Hey, are you awake?" Harald asked in a low voice and got a soft moan in response and a dry whisper. He took his water don and gently raised the man's head so that he could place the plump next to his lips.

"Drink, you still have a fever, so drink up as much as you can" he tipped it a little so that the clear cold liquid could gently fall into the man's mouth. The first sip made the man cough, and then Harald felt his arm was pushed up, and the man drank it faster. Like he had been starving for the liquid, and perhaps he had. As the injured man slowly relishing the grip on his wrist. Harald could now feel how the man's touch burned his mark.

He laid down the now empty plunger by his side and lowered the man's head slowly back and looked over him again and meet the man dark eyes that were now half-open, but unfocused. 

"Go back to sleep," Harald mumbled to him. "You need to gather your strength" he felt the grip on his ankle loosen slightly and saw how the dark eyes closed, and the young man had calmed down again and seemed to go back to sleep. 

Harald tried to calm his now wildly running heart, but it felt almost impossible. His arm was tingling like a thousand needles was pinching into his skin, and it crawled up along his arm towards his elbow and over his shoulder. He could feel the burning sensation go along his spine. It was not a painful feeling, but warm enough to make him take a deep, shaky breath to try and calm his senses. There was no question about it anymore; this was his _soulmate_ as he had never reacted like this to another person touch. 

Harald did not sleep that night. He sat beside the man, watched over his fever, and switched the cloth when it became too hot. His condition had, thanks to the god, not worsened but had not improved either. So what could he do? He did not have strong enough magic to carry him home, and his home was too far away. So what could he do to help him? 

It was not long after sunrise, as he heard something that did not belong in the otherwise peaceful forest, loud voices that were calling. Harald looked down at the young man and stroked his fingers along his neck until he found his pulse, stable but a little too fast still. He leaned his forehead down against the young man for a second and closed his eyes in concentration as he tried to felt his temperature. The man still had a high fever, but it was somewhat lower than yesterday. 

Harald pulled away and jerked in surprise when a pair of feverish glossy green eyes looked at him. The redness spread over his cheeks and down his throat, and he opened his mouth to try and explain himself; he could now hear the voices closer and that they were shouting for someone named Loki? 

Was that perhaps the young man's name? or were they the ones who had hurt his soul mate? His hand automatically closed around the short sword that hung along his side, but before he could get up, he felt a cold and damp hand around his ankle again and looked down at the owner who slowly shook his head.

"Are you Loki ?" Harald asked in a low voice and saw how the young man tried to moisten his cracked lips and form words, but nothing came out, so he settled for a small nod. 

Harald felt the nervousness spread through his body when he heard how the voices were closer now. They sounded anxious and were shouting at each other to shut up, and something about enemies could come at any time. 

Fear crept up his spine as he stared at the noise like a deer caught in front of a hunter. He needed to leave.

Harald attempted to get up again, but the grip around his ankle hardens, and an almost panicked expression appeared over Loki's face. He looked up in the direction of the voices, and he could now see the tip of a spear over the bushes. What if they thought it was he who hurt their friend? Would they attack him before he said anything? He could not let that happen. 

"I'm sorry," he whispered low, " I have to go," and even though it was hard even to tear himself from his soul mates side, he pulled up, and the weak grip the dark-haired man had on him quickly came loose. He swallowed hard and withdrew. It hurt, he didn't want to leave, but he could not stay either. 

Loki now tried to move after him and gave away a louder painful moan when his injured body objected to the motion. But that was all that was needed to alert the voices, for suddenly Harald could hear heavy running footsteps and the clatter of armor were now not far from their position.

"N...no," the hoarse voice of Loki came forth painfully as he had a hand out for him. Harald met Loki' 's panicked eyes one last time.

"I'm so sorry. I have to go," Harad ripped himself away from the painful gaze of Lokis and turning around and starting to run away. He could hear shouting behind him, and it almost felt like he was tearing out his own heart as he was getting further and further away.

He hated to leave him, but something inside him said they would meet again soon. 

*** ~ * ~ * ~ * Present time * ~ * ~ * ~ ***

Harry woke up violently, and his heart was racing in his chest as if he had run a marathon. He threw off the blanket that had tangled together around his ankles and tried to stand up on his now unsteady legs. His whole body trembled as pain shoots through him, and every breath triggered pain through his entire body, especially his head, which was about to explode. 

The oppressive feeling forced him to close his eyes hard, and he pressed his hands to his head in a desperate motion to push back the emotions. His body gave him only a few seconds warning before his stomach contents violently came up and emptied into the porcelain throne he had run to the second he felt it came up. He emptied his stomached rapidly, the chilled feeling of the cold floor under his knees, and the pain in his body began to subside slowly. Still, a tingling sensation lingered around his arm, pulsing and almost vibrating, making his whole arm numb in the process. 

Harry rested his head against the cold seat before him, and the headache was now throbbed painfully in sync with his heartbeat, and cold tears fell down his cheeks. He hadn't even noticed that he had started to cry. 

He did not know how long he lay on the cold bathroom floor, and sometime during the time, Harry must have fallen asleep because when he woke up again, the headache had subsided markedly, and he could move without the pain in his limbs. Slowly he got up, and his body protested with stiffness, but he forced himself to rinse his mouth and wash his face.

What the hell was that dream? It was so insanely real, and he still could feel the phantom pain eat as his chest. Harry sighed as he let the cold water splash his face.

When he raised his gaze to the mirror just above the sink, he blinked in surprise. For a second, he thought that he still was dreaming. Because he could even see the man he had seen in his dream in his reflection. Or something that looked like him, because what he saw not more like that small child than Harry potter, an 18 years old war veteran.

His eyes had taken on a more emerald green tone, and around the iris, he could see a clear line of gold color, which gave his gaze a new intensity that had not been there before. The color was not his mother's famous green color eyes that so many had praised. 

This could not be him. Harry slowly raised his hand, and his reflection made the exact movement as he gently touched his temple and the long locks of dark hair. He then pulled his hand through the now much longer hair; how was this even possible? It now reached his ears and curled at the end. He could vaguely remember that he once, as a child, had grown back his hair as Harry had hated how Aunt Petunia had massacred his hair right before he usually starts school. But this felt different.

Harry pulled his hand through the hair and pulled on it lightly and felt the pain that came after as the hair stuck to his scalp like glue. He then removed his hand from his hair only to fingered the back of his nose, where he used to wear his glasses, which was missing and haunted him with their absence.

He could _see_ without them, without any problems at all. His eyes widened in sheer shock. He could not panic, not yet, not now, perhaps later. Especially not now when his gaze zoomed in on something else that had caught his attention. His mouth felt dry, and he tried to swallow, but there was no saliva.

He gasped softly and stared down at his wrist, which no longer was the pale skin he usually had, but now a beautifully sprouting tendrils of vines were around it. He could see the golden-yellow ribbon at the base of his wrist and the vines that were wrapped protectively around it. The now firmer golden-yellow stems had begun to pull up even more, and the small flowers took on a green-blue hue; they were close to blooming, but not quite yet there. Harry recognized this flower without any problem; after all the years, the Dursley had forced him to clear the flower beds. It was a forget-me-not. 

Alright, now he was allowing himself to panic. What the hell is going on with him? what had happened? Harry did the only thing he could think of, and he would forever deny the high tone his scream took when he called on the only person he could trust to have an answer to what suddenly happened. 

"HERMIONE!" 


	2. Chapter 2: Remember me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> O-M-G I never thought that this story would get this reaction. You all make me cry happy tears! Thank you for following and favorite this thing. Because you all are amazing, here is the update two days earlier than planned.
> 
> I hope that you will like it and you continue to follow and to reviewing.

He was finally free from the dream-like fog that was becoming a new thing for him, Harry settled himself to the next problem on the what-the-hell- was-happening-to-him list. It was becoming quite a long list. Harry took a deep breath and then turned his attention back to the current irritation source on the sofa. 

“Long hair suits you”

" Sod off, " Harry glared at him and pulled his hand through his hair to get it out of his face. The whole thing was started to get ridiculous, and it frankly freaked him out. But at the same time, it was like something blocked his panic that tried to bubble up to the surface like there was something like a lid on his emotions.

It was _frustrating_.

"It highlights your beautiful eyes." He could hear Ron's voice was rough with laughter even if he refused to look at him and started to pace again. 

"Glad it seems to amuse you, Ron, can we take this a little more seriously now?" Harry growled. He was incredibly close to hex Ron to the next millennium if he did not start taking this seriously. 

Harry pulled back his annoying hair once again and tried with a hard jerk to get the tassel to sit in place, but he was unsuccessful. 

His hair had suddenly decided to grow, even though he had taken the scissors and tried to cut them back, so the next day it had grown since. And not only that, whatever he did, it was as if his hair had been given a life of its own; it refused to remain in the place that would serve as a prison for the thick hair.

His hair was precise so long that he could make it stick together in a short ponytail in the neck, but his newly formed bangs did not seem to understand what he wanted it to do. He had even tried to use spells and charms, but no matter what he did, the horrible hair seemed to have a life of its own. He had always had messy and wild hair before, but this took the prize.

After the war was over, Harry had claimed his titles, both the Potters and the Black families. It was only Hermione that had decided to return to Hogwarts and finish her studies. He and Ron had been accepted into the Auror program without any fuss; instead, they had been happy to have them on the force. And with their already familiarity with field words, none of them had any problems passing the exams. 

After much deliberation, they had concluded that all three would move into the Potter mansion, which Harry was happy about as it was too big just for him. Sure he still had the Grimmauld place, but there were too many memories of Sirius. And Harry didn't want to admit it. He didn't want to be alone because he would be alone with his mind and thoughts, which was not a pretty picture. Harry suspected that both Ron and Hermione had the same problems, and with the three of them under the same roof, they felt safer. He could start and relax and not look over his shoulder all the time. 

As Hermione was back in Hogwarts and Ron worked his way up in the Ministerial with much vigor. On the other hand, Harry had no idea what he wanted anymore; after an extra difficult task to gather Death eaters, he had been stunned and scared that he felt so empty and indifferent when the man had died in front of him. He had stared down at the vacant eyes and felt nothing. 

It no longer felt right, and it scared him. It was as if something inside him did not want to listen; he wanted to see them burn and die before his feet. He felt a little bit satisfied that he had shown them that he was not powerless. It was as if his heart and brain were no longer in harmony with each other.

So after that incident, he decided he needed an extended vacation, starting immediately. Harry had enough fortune now to never work again in his life, so he decided to restore the Potter mansion on his own. It was more like a therapeutic refuge than anything else, which made him feel close to his parents.

"Okay, okay, sorry " Ron's voice brought him back, and Harry looked over at him as he raised his hands in a rewarding gesture. He did not sound sorry. Rather the opposite, as if this had been a joke made by his brothers. Bloody annoying Weasleys. 

Ron got up and held out his hand to him. Which made Harry stop in his path and stare down at his hand and then look up at him a little questioningly, no idea what he wanted him to do. 

Ron rolled his eyes, "Hand it over; I'll help you."

"What?"

"Which of us has a sister?" he asked, grinning. “I always helped Ginny when she was younger with her hair. However, it did not have its own life as yours probably have, but then again, what is new with you being different? ”he commented, and Harry sighed resignedly and tore off the offended band, and the half-long black hair fell in a mess around his face. 

"Just do it," he muttered, this could not get any worse than it was. Ron grinned as he went behind Harry and collected his hair by hand and then only soaked down the tassel before attaching it hard, "there you go, mate."

It felt weird, but the hair had suddenly decided to stay in place. Harry fingered on the bun in his neck and grinned. It stayed where it was. “ This is bloody brilliant! How did you do that? ” Harry turned and walked over to the full-length mirror and looked at his head and the tuft that now held it together correctly.

"Magic," Ron said teasingly and waved his fingers but ducked for a pillow that suddenly came flying towards him.

"Oh, bugger, come on! You do it again, " he pointed out, and quite rightly so, Harry still stood by the mirror and had only waved his hand to make the pillow attack his redheaded friend. Ron yelped when a larger decorative pillow hit him hard in the back. “Not fair! “

"I do not play fair with those who do not deserve it," said Harry, but he took pity on the red-haired man who was now almost buried in the pillows. He looked down at his hand and noticed how his shirt was a little longer than it had been before. Had he shrunk?. Harry fingered the seam for a while before magically reducing it without any problems.

" Huh," Since when could he perform wandless magic this good? 

Ron crawled, muttering out of the pillows and shook his head. “You know, I asked Ginny that once, why she did not fix her hair with magic.” The redhead said, not noticing Harry's thoughtful expression, “ She had the same problem as you. It comes from the fact that some individuals secrete their magic unconsciously all the time. Have you ever wondered why Hermione has a problem with the hair that she has? ”

Harry could not precisely say that he even thought of it, “Good to know. How do we make it stop growing? ”

"Absolutely no idea," Ron said, stuffing a caramel in his mouth as he sank into the sofa again. “Ask Fred and George? they maybe have pranked you?” 

Harry rubbed his face and gave off a frustrating sight. “No, I don’t think that's it.” Why did this happen to him? Why could he not just live his life in peace and without anything different happening to him? Now he had strange dreams and a wild hair that decided to have a life of his own. Besides, the headache was going to be the death of him, and on top of it all, the pain relief potions no longer worked as they used to. He had even started taking the double even to have the slightest effect. 

"Harry, are you okay?" the redhead suddenly asked him, as he had gone quiet for some time. The previously amused voice was now full of anxiety. “you look like you're in pain, do you need me to call Hermione? perhaps it is a new attack.”

Attack, yeah, that was what they were calling the massive headache that was popping up and almost swoop him under each time. It was not like it always was a new dream that came to him when it happened. Sometimes his body burned and hurt like someone broke his bones and torn his muscles apart only to pull him together in another way. 

"No, no, it's fine," Harry said, massaging his temple. He was tired, grumpy and everything just felt wrong at this moment, and he needed to.... to do what? He had no idea as the feeling gripped on his heart. Everything from his body to his magic felt strange. Also, he could not eat anything properly and could only live on dry bread and water.

Ron suddenly stood next to him again with his arm supporting him and now looked worried, "Harry, you can barely stand straight," he said, "Maybe you should try to rest a little?"

Harry held back a sigh and ground his teeth as the explosive pain swooped over him. Suddenly, sleep didn't sound so bad.

"Rest," the redhead said as he put a blanket over his body. "I wake you up if Herms finds anything." Harry could only nod as he laid down on the sofa, and his head had not even been put on the pillow before he drifted away, and his mind was invaded with a new dream.

*** ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ ***

The room he entered was huge. The whole ceilings were decorated with massive gold ornaments; not a single place in the roof was empty of art ornament. The farthest wall was covered with massive windows that towered up in the ceiling and down the sides hung heavy red curtains that were held together with thick golden ropes. At the far end of the room were majestic tables lined up in dark wood and an old look filled to the brim with food, pastries, and fruit. 

Harald could see that many guests were already in the full festive atmosphere, both men and women were all exclusive dressed, and laughter filled the air. There were even some fairies and elves there as well. Harald could recognize their appearance as they had a completely different attraction to the surroundings than others; it was as if they absorbed all the light as they moved fleetingly among the guests.

Harald swallowed hard and focused on his parents' backs while they were presented to the court. He could feel burning glances at him, and he could read that most people were curious about them, curious, a little scared, and from some, he knew even a cold corps of menace. He understood why these glances were directed at them. His family adhered primarily to their own and did not often mix with others. But as part of the legendary creature that they were, there were many preconceived notions and opinions about his people.

Most often, many saw them as wild beasts and monsters, and to some extent, it was true. That he and his family looked more human was due to their high level of magic and rank in their society. They were more powerful than other creatures and had a greater sensitivity to outside forces or energy. And honestly, Harald hated events like this; he enjoyed himself better out in nature and not trapped in a cage of gold. Even if it was only for a short time, but a hundred days of festivity? It felt like a universal joke. He wanted nothing more than to merge into the shadows and flee from all the gazes he felt directed at him.

In honor of the evening, he wore a long cobalt blue tunic that stretched down over his knees and was fastened to his waist with a brown, beautifully decorated belt. He wore a white undershirt under the tunic that floated comfortably over his arms and hid his mark. His jet-black hair was set in a highly elegant knot with pearl ornaments around the knot. But already now, even less than an hour since they had fixed his hair, it had fallen off the knot and framed his face and gave him a more feminine look. He could already hear whispers around them as his family went against the royal family to pay their respects.

Harald raised his head and lifted his chin to feel more confident than he thought; he had to remind himself that he needed to look taller than what he was. It was something he hated, how short he was compared with his family or friends. He only went to his father's chin for goodness sake, and even his mother was half the head taller than him, but his father had just laughed at his complex and shook his head, amused. Apparently, the shortness was a sign that his magical ability had real potential to become one of the most powerful in the nine realms. Not that he cared about that. 

It was puzzling and did not matter much what it was because he was still short and skinny! In addition to his mind-blowing complex. He was shorter than his sister, who now hovered next to him in a cherry pink slender dress that perfectly fit her feminine curves. Her silver-gray hair was beautifully braided and fastened with the same pearl embellishment as he had in his hair. Her eyes were in deep amber, and her lips were as red as sun-ripened strawberries, and around her neck was the soft golden band of her soul mark that yet had started to bloom. Overall, she was a beautiful young woman, and she knew it. 

Harald glanced at his sister as they went half-hidden behind their parents, and she gave him an annoyed glance back. Seriously, he could even hear her complaining voice with that look, and her voice rang in his mind that he had to sharpen up and endure this godforsaken torture. He held back a grimace.

Once they stopped in front of the royal family, they bowed in respect, and as Harald straightened up, he suddenly felt an intense shiver go through him. His brain shut down at the incredible feeling, and Harald slowly raised his gaze to the royal family. And for the first time in six years, his gaze was met by a pair of deep jade green eyes that stared right at him in what Harald only could describe as a shock. His mouth suddenly felt dry, as if all saliva had been sucked out of his throat and left a spoonful of ashes instead. 

He tried to calm his running heart, and the nerves that made the air around him begin to vibrate, and his mark burned intensely. Suddenly it felt almost impossible to breathe, the jade green eyes dug deeper and deeper into his soul, and he could not tear his gaze from the black-haired prince. 

Haralds suddenly felt his sister's hand pull lightly on his arm, and the spell broke.

"You're staring," she muttered. “Behave” 

He looked at her quickly before he looked down and grimaced at her tone. He wanted to snap at her that he had all the rights in the world to stare at his mate. But he did not, because he didn't have that right; he had forsaken that chance a long time ago. As soon as their parents set off to mingle with the rest of the guests and they had to follow, and as Harald walked away, he could feel the fiery gaze on his back.

Every step he took away, felt strangely heavy and almost trailing, and Harald clenched his fists. He did it again. Harald turned his back on his soulmate and voluntarily left him. But he needed to be social for a while before he could escape, and he also needed to get his emotions under control before he exploded something and made the decore dance to the music. 

He wasn't made for significant events like this, and his magic was flaring out of him in steady liks. But after some time, Harald managed to apologize and pull away from the floor without seeming rude. The darkness had now settled outside the massive windows, and the doors stood wide open to let in the fresh air. Around the walls were enormous tapestries with newly lit candles that were as thick as his forearms and probably as long. It gave the room a vague and mysterious impression and, from the large ceiling, hung a dozen large crystal chandeliers that illuminated the dance floor.

He had never understood why a palace needed so much decoration or gold hanging everywhere. But Asgard was well known for being one of the fiercest peoples of war, living and fighting was in their blood. They were dangerous to their enemies and very protective of their loved ones; it was a large part of these warriors who made peace possible together with the Valkyries, of course. 

Sadly, strength had never been Harald's central area, he had trained in the art of war, but his body was not made for bulky weapons or melee combat. He was the more agile type in his battles; he could defeat his opponents with both cunning, tricks, and of course, with his magic if he had to.

It always fell back to his magic, wild and untamed but ever-present as if it was almost everything he did was. He was magic, and magic was him. Funny enough that his supposed soul mate had the title of god of magic already in his arsenal. Magic was a fickle thing indeed, especially in this kind of event, his magic more palpable, more reactive to even the smallest look. 

Every century, Asgard's royal family held a grand banquet to celebrate the peace that lay over their worlds and make new politics contacts. The first night was mainly for the younger generation to find their other half or make new friends. The festivities lasted for a hundred days and one night, and this was the first day of several months of celebrations, meetings, and political events that would take place later. He was sure that there would even be competitions to brag about their abilities or have a legal excuse to beat someone into the ground.

Harald pulled nervously in the arm of his tunic. He had seen several guests proudly showing off their soulmate marks. They were clear for everything and everyone to see in the hope that their chosen ones would notice it or show that they had already been taken. But Harald did not need to show his wrist to the world. He already knew who his soulmate was and after today, so did his match. The only question was how he would dare to meet the Asgardian prince now? after everything and after how he had left him? 

He had not seen Loki once in the years since he had cared for him from the brink of death. At first, it was about him being ashamed; he had run away from his soulmate, the one who was said to be the other half of his soul, his perfect match. And he had become afraid and left him to his fate, or in his brother's care as it turned out.

But it had then become clear that he would not be able to get away from his realm for some time. Apparently, the awakening of his soul mark had come with a new boost to his magic. And considering that he already had a lot of wild magic since before, it did not help that it almost doubled in a short period, and he had a hard time controlling it. Even his planes to become death heir had been put on ice as death had chosen three Midgardian to take it instead. If this was faith's wish, then so mote it be. 

Harald let out a heavy sigh and felt how his whole body was tense. As if he was just waiting to be jumped. He leaned back against the cold wall and closed his eyes and just listened to the sieve of happy guests and the music playing. 

He had no idea how to deal with Loki. Should he just go ahead and introduce himself? It felt like the most logical thing to do, but the question was just _how_. The tickling sensation swept over his arm and back suddenly felt burning, an annoying reminder to see what he was avoiding, and he bit together.

Harald remembered the pained and almost betrayed look in his eyes as he had fled all those years before. Would Loki hate him now? Was it already too late? Perhaps he already had a match that he loved, and he already forgot about him. 

He took a choppy breath as the reality of his thought hit him. _Shit, shit, shit,_ what would he do? What would he say? should he say anything? should he apologize over how cowardly he was? But he had only been a child, and standing up to adult warriors had not been something he could in that situation. He had followed them in the distance to see that Loki was well looked after and that he had not abandoned his soulmate to his enemy. But the care the blonde mountain gave him calmed him down as they had entered the rainbow colors of Bifrost. 

Harald sighed heavily and lowered his gaze to the floor again. Perhaps he would leave it be? His eye was fascinated that the floor was as beautifully decorated as the rest of the room. The polished stone had small veins of glittering golden veins glistening under the light of the lamps. He could hear the laughter and music around him but contented himself with standing in the shadow of the pillar that acted as his screen to the outside world as he tried to calm down his mind. 

Suddenly he could see a pair of polished black boots standing right in front of him, and he stared down at it. His shoulders tensed, and he held his breath as he painfully slowly raised his gaze to the farthest neat and beautifully sewn black trousers. He could see the decorative seams exclusively creeping into the texture. He took in the equally elegant green tunic framed by a black sleeveless coat that was as exclusive as the trousers. Overall it was a complete and beautiful Asgardian ceremonial dress. 

His heart pounded in his chest, and his hands felt damp with sweat when he realized that the person now standing in front of him was precisely the one he was afraid to meet. Harald raised his gaze quickly, despite the apparent nervousness, all the way up to the handsome face and the intense eyes that nailed him to his place when he met them again, and he was frozen stiff.

His breathing caught in his throat as Loki stared down at him with a blank expression on his face.

Harald swallowed hard, "My…. prince...". Why was Loki here? Why did he stare at him so much ? he was angry, he must be, those eyes looked so dark, and his eyes were two shades darker than before. His thoughts were tossed around and circled his worries. But he suddenly became aware that Loki's lips had moved, and he had not understood a single word. He swallowed hard and opened his mouth to apologize; this was not good. He could not humiliate another prince, even less his soulmate!. 

Sure he was one himself, but Asgard was the head of the nine realms, the supreme regent of all the worlds. _Fu..ck_

“You haven't heard a thing I said right now, did you, Prince Harald?” The Prince of Asgard made a low laughing noise as he looked down at the now stumed teen before him.

“Should I feel wronged? Loki asked, his voice was dark but at the same time one of the smoothest and most pleasant voices Harald had ever heard before. Before his brain sprouted again, he swallowed hard and shook his head

"I apologize so much, Your Highness," he forced himself out, grimacing at how his voice cracked. "It was not my intention. I was lost in my thoughts…."

Loki made a low humming sound " Only for this time. I will accept you're apologizing on one condition.” 

Harald bit the inside of his chin. He barely stopped his mouth to say he would do anything to earn his forgiveness. 

"Dance with me.”

Harald stared at him with a half-open mouth and had no idea how he could say anything about it. What? he must have heard wrong, Harald felt like his brain finally had stopped working. He must have heard wrong. But when Loki held out his elegant hand to him, he could do nothing but stare at it.

“May I have this dance?” Loki's voice was soft, and a captivating smile and the mere sight of it made butterflies flutter in his stomach.

Harald slowly raised his hand and put it in his waiting, a shock went through them both, and something in Loki's gaze shifted. He got a more satisfied and victorious look as if this was the last confirmation he needed and his smile reflects his triumph. Loki slowly began to back out onto the dance floor, where several people were already dancing with each other in a jumble of colors. Women in beautiful and exclusive dresses and the men with ornate clothes in all its color moved around in time with the music that began to ebb and gave a little break to let people get off the dance floor or stay if they wished for the next song. 

Harald now stood opposite Loki, who bowed slightly, and when he straightened up, his hand was placed against Harald's waist. The music began to play again at a slow pace, and Harald tried to calm his beating heart down. But it felt almost impossible as his gaze was fixed on the older man's face, which stared down at him as he held him close. The intense green eyes had him in an iron grip, almost as if he was afraid he would disappear if he looked away. It was as if he were holding his very soul down.

Slowly, they began to move softly to the music in a soft circle. Loki's one arm resting behind his back led them both in a gentle and elegant motion around the other dancers. The hand on Harald's waist almost burned holes in his clothes. His steps were still a bit hesitant, but Loki skillfully led him around in light circles. None of them said anything while the music started appropriately, and Loki took him lightly to the side n and changed the elegant arm that brought him when he came back into his arms and this time much closer than before.

"Relax," Loki mumbled and hugged his hand, "I will not make you fall and make a fool of yourself."

Harald gave him an annoyed glance, easy for him to say! Everyone around them had stopped in their dance and were now openly staring at them. Harald began to feel more and more uncomfortable with the attention that was on them, and his whole being told her to flee. But at the same time, the Asgardian prince kept him in a stable and secure grip. 

"Just look at me like there is no one else here," he said and took a step back and pulled with him "Do not care about the others" 

Harald gave away a low snorting sound. "only look at you? Is that not a little arrogant to say?" he asked. " Maybe we will dance into someone and crash down, making a huge mess. And what makes you think you're something to look at?" he could not help the nervous rambling, nor did it help that he still did not understand how he could have ended up in this situation that suddenly felt way over his head. He was not a dancer; why had he accepted his hand? 

The young prince humming made his chest vibrate, which sent an electric sensation straight through Harald, and he held back the redness that threatened to arise. 

"It's not me they're watching, love," Loki continued, pulling him away and then taking him back. "No, they are looking at the beautiful spiritually dance partner I managed to catch in my golden net."

Harald stumbled at his words, but Loki was quickly there and caught him and instead performed a new movement to hide his mistake and looked amused at his smaller dance partner. This time Harald could not stop the hot redness that made his whole face and neck painfully warm. 

"So the rumors are true, that silver tongue you have is deadly dangerous," he said with a low voice in an attempt to cover up his nervousness. He had to get some control over himself, and his magic before it started to sip out. 

Loki spun around, so his back was pressed against Loki's chest, and he could feel it sending electrical signals through his whole body when his face was close to his head. Suddenly he could feel the softness of another magic cover his entire body in a soft blanket, rearing in his own. His arms were now outstretched while they danced a little slower to the music before almost reluctantly separating as the magic still lingers between them. 

"You should not listen to all the rumors you hear," he said in a hoarse voice as he held him close, his eyes were now burning into Haralds own. 

"So, you deny it?" Harald asked and shuddered as Loki's every breath fell over his neck as he bowed his head closer to his, and He must have imagined the feeling spreading within him. 

"No"

It felt like his heart was trying to tear itself out of place behind his sternum. His mouth felt as dry as if he had eaten sand. Loki's arm was suddenly behind his back again, holding him close to him. His warmth slipped into his back, and he felt his breath hitch as his magic accepted Lokis without any questions. The soul mark was sending heated pulses up his arm and down to his. The sensation was lighting a fire inside him that he had never been feeling to this Extenze before. Harald could not find the energy or the will to create spaces between them as he socked in it all.

He looked up at Loki as he was led around on the dance floor. Everything around him suddenly began to fade. He could still hear the music playing in the background but was focused only on his dance partner, who smiled down at him. 

The tickling sensation spread throughout his whole body now, and he almost drowned in the safe feeling of the magic created. Loki's face was so close to his now, their breath mixed, and it felt like he was about to drown and only stayed afloat in each other's arms. The warm arid hit his sore lips that wanted to be pressed to his dance partners, and as Loki's eyes flicked down at his lips, he would say that he felt the same need. 

But the sudden sound of applause brought him back to reality, and in surprise, Harald jerked away from the warm body. He let go of Loki as if he had been electrocuted, eyes wide in shock over what he had wanted to do. He gave him a stiff bow before quickly turning around and fleeing the room as new dancer sets took their place. 

_Shit. Shit. Shit_

What is he doing? how could he let this happen, not now. He fled out of the massive glass door and onto the porch and into the darkness that was on the outside. Without further notice, he began to walk back and forth on the porch, pulling his hand through his hair as he had a habit of doing. Which managed to ruin the last of his before nice hair bun. But it had already done its thing, and it was a miracle that the hair stayed where it had been for so long. He pulled out his tassel and leaned against the cold stone railing and stared down at the beautifully illuminated maze below the balcony. 

He pulled his hand through his hair again and shook it out better, his long black hair reaching down to his waist and draped over his shoulders as he tilted his head forward. His heartbeat painfully stiff and he grabbed his shirt and bit it when the blush threatened to spread over his neck and cheeks again. 

He had been so close to kissing him, why had he done that?. Suddenly he felt someone else's presence right behind him, and the magical scent that surrounded him had begun to become as familiar to his senses as his own was. Even after only bathing in it once, and that was for nearly 5 minutes ago. Harald closed his eyes tightly but refused to look up or turn around, he both heard and felt Loki getting closer, but he was too scared to look at him.

A suddenly soft scent of flowers suddenly hit his senses, and Harald opened his eyes in surprise and stared down at a bouquet of forget-me-nots held in front of him. He stared down at the baby blue flowers before slowly looking up at the smiling prince next to him.

Loki's gaze was dark and intense, but there was something else there as well, something he could not put into words.

“A word of warning, my dear prince. I will not let you run away from me again the second time."

Harald's breath stuck in his throat, and he tried to swallow around the lump created there while he received the bouquet with shaking fingers. He did not know how to interpret the words said, nor did he know what to answer. He could only stare up at the handsome prince's amused face.

Why did he suddenly get the feeling that he was facing a predator that had found its new prey? And why was his heart beating so fast of the mere thought of it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that you all like it so far. I can tell you all that the first draft is already written. It is going to be ten chapters (so far). I'm probably going to update this one on Sunday or Saturdays or even earlier. It all depends on you guys :D love ya! 
> 
> Fun fact:  
> Forget-me-not: This flower has long been considered a flower of love or friendship. It can also mean, “Open your heart to love.”


	3. Chapter 3: A new flower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes! a new chapter is edited and fixed. I can't promise you that I will finish the chapters as fast as I can :) And thank you all so much for your support on this fic, so be it comments, kudos, or favs. I appreciate that you take the time and read this old thing. It makes the whole writing so much more fun to do!
> 
> Remember that this is rated M for a reason in the next chapter, and if you do not like it, then do not read it. I have also been asked if I would get a beta, I have tried, but no one has replied or had time for it. So if someone of you wants to be my beta, then let me know! We are looking at 11 chapters right now.
> 
> So let the story begin! \ - ^^ - /

**Chapter 3**

Harry slowly opened his eyes and stared up at the cracked ceiling above his bed. It was strange to wake up like this; it was almost… .normal. Usually, he would have these peculiar dreams and violently come out of them, or it was his head that decided to kill him slowly, even in his sleep. It was starting to freak him out. He could swear that sometimes he still could feel the lingering touch of the black-haired prince on his skin as he faded away from the dream. 

His magic was no better off than his blasted heart. It was getting more and more reactive and leaked out of him more often than not. But the worst ( or perhaps the best) thing was that he started to _feel_ something, something he could not put his finger on but had to do with the man. 

Harry groaned as he tried to push that thought out of his mind. The last thing he needed right now was to get a crush on the imaginary dreamy man, or whatever he could call him. But either way, he would choose the dream man over the other dreams of the war, Voldemort, or even Cedrik's death.

Sometimes he forgot that he should be happy even to get any sleep at all. The torture he had endured had caused some damage to his nerves in both his arms and hands. And some nights, his body would not stop remembering it. But it had been like forever since he had woke up like this, quietly, slowly and at his own pace. It was as if his body and brain had finally agreed to give him a day off. 

Harry slowly got out of bed and stretched his stiff body before going and clearing his morning needs. After he showered, he stood in front of the mirror and took in the new changes that melted into his body. His hair was now below the shoulder blades and dripping cold drops along his now light skin. 

It felt as if he had been thrown back ten years in time to the Dursleys, when he barely was allowed to see the sun. He wondered if they ever missed him, probably not. 

Harry looked down at his wrist where the flower mark had changed again, he stroked his fingers slowly down the new flowers, and it looked more and more like an exclusive tattoo. He let his eyes travel over the rest of his body, taking in the rest of his scars that still were there. Reminding him of his youth, they started to fade into more light silver colors and could easily glamour over. The only imperfection on his skin now was the, still red as the day he had received it, text on the back of his left hand.

_I must not tell lies._

Harry snorted; the irony of those words was laughable, considering who now was haunting his night every other day. Yes, he was the boy who lived, and he had scars to prove it, and he was proud of who he had become because it could quickly go the other way. Sometimes he could get stuck at the similarities between Tom Riddle's start in life and his own. Harry took in his whole complexion for the first time as a whole, all the scars that told a history. Harry pulled the wet hair covering the lightning bolt scar on his forehead aside; even that scar had started to fade away in a lighter color after the Horcrux was gone.

He stared into his own eyes through the reflection. The rise had started to show a golden line outside of the viridian green color. He was changing. Harry shook his head and went out and got dressed for the day. Today was a good day; he would not worry about things that he could not control, a hard life lesson he had learned early on. The dreams would come when they would, the changes also, and Harry had both Ron and Hermione in on this; between all of them, they should find anything. He did not intend to sit and wait for them or worry over it anyway.

However, he could not help that a lump had begun to grow in his stomach. Harry left his room behind, and without really thinking about it, he started to walk in the direction of the most familiar energy emitted from. That was another new experience, he had always been sensitive to others' presence, but he had never been able to feel a person's energy and know who it was and their intentions. 

Harry stopped in the doorway to the vast library. The walls were filled to the brim with books and bookshelves that hurled up to the selling. A large round window adorned the farthest wall with its glass divided into lots of different colors and moving pictures of fairies and flowers that shimmered in the sunlight leaking in. Two large magical plants hung along with its frame, and among the aerial roots, small points of light appeared in and out. If Harry would concentrate, he could hear the soft sound of giggling, but that could also be his imaginary. Below the window was a large solid table that was as wide as he was long and guaranteed twice as wide, and it looked, and probably was, really heavy. 

Harry stepped slowly into the warm atmosphere that the library created and smiled as he walked towards the lonely woman. She was standing bent over all the books laid out in front of her and had wholly swallowed her attention, not even noticing that she was no longer alone. 

" Anything new?" Harry asked, making Hermione jump in surprise and turned around with her wand out.

“Harry!" she gasped in surprise as she turned around " Don't do that. What have I told you about sneaking up on me? ” she exclaimed, frustrated, and gave him an annoyed glance and tucked away her wand.

Harry grinned, not even a bit sorry that he nearly gave her a heart attack. "Not to?" 

“Exactly! Then why do you keep on doing it? I Promise that I will spell a bell on you that will never come off." 

“No, you will not,” Harry smiled as he walked up beside her, not like he could change how he walked, after the war, some habits were stuck. And this newly developed connection with the hallows did not help in that matter either, not to mention the dream changes. He somehow had more neutral energy than before, and people, in this case, Ron and Hermione, could easily forget that he was there sometimes. 

Hermione stuck her nose up in the air. “Try me.” 

Harry held up his hand in the universal surrender sign and chuckled, never arguing with a woman when she was in _that mood_. Both he and Ron had learned that the hard way. He looked down on the table before them, and he started to look over her text and the picture she had found. After the last dream, he had told her what had happened, and Hermione had automatically gone into research mode.

“I have been looking up at your mark and the flowers you mentioned from your last dream,” she began as she pushed a book in his hand. “The flower on your wrist is a forget-me-not, an ordinary flower that grows in the wild in Eurasia .. ”

"Eh, where?" 

She sighed, “Europe and whole Asia are more known as Eurasia. Now let me finish. The name forget-me-not comes originally from the German 'Vergissmeinnicht,' which means "do not forget me." Hermione read out loud in the book she stole back from his hand.

“There is a legend dated back to the Middle Ages about the flower. It is said that a knight and his fiancée were walking along a river when he picked a bouquet of forget-me-nots for her. Because his armor was so heavy, he suddenly fell into the water. And just before he drowned, he threw the bouquet to his beloved and shouted, "do not forget me." The flower is associated with romance and tragic fates. Women often wore it as a sign of fidelity and eternal love. ” Hermione put down that book as she pulled up another piece of paper. 

It was all interesting for lack of words, but he still had no idea why this was important to them, "what does this have to do with the mark?" 

"Everything!” she said as she looked up, eyes twinkling; this was amazing. She had never thought she would get the chance to study a real soul brand. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity “ The two different flowers probably represent you and your soulmate. Only soulmate pairing can share a soul mark. The more powerful the tattoo color and development is, the stronger and more intense the combining it is. Some texts mention it, the larger and deeper the detail it's, the stronger the bond. The tattoo starts on your wrist and up; most likely, your mate has his on either his back or shoulder. The two sides will pull more and more to each other, and not before you consume, they will not merge. And once the mark is together, you will be bound to each other for eternity. Isn't it romantic ?!” Hermione squealed out the löast part and started to write down her thoughts about this. 

“This soul magic is believed to be very old and only reserved for the old families only so there is not much that we can read up upon before we either ask Malfoy or look into the black section. Have you had any more dreams? “

Harry stared down at the flowers she had lost him almost at the end of her squeal. Did he have a soul mate somewhere? But he could not connect the dots of the dreams he had. That is something that probably was either fantasy or happened a really long time ago. What did it all mean? He did not think it was so simple that he only had a soulmate somewhere in the world. That did not explain his changes.

"Harry?" 

“ Hm? "Harry looked up from his mark as Hermione's voice startled, " Ah, yeah, sorry, I think I did. But It does not make any sense. “ 

"Magic usually does not," she nodded

“But why do I have these dreams, Mione? Whenever I wake up, I feel something new; remember something that I physically should not. And all of these changes, It drives me crazy. When will it stop? “He pulled a fist of the jet black hair in front of him and then back over his shoulder. 

"It is not only that. I can feel my body change more and more. When this all is over, I'm still going to be still me? Or Is the one in my dreams going to take over" he snorted at the last one, like a crazy horror movie. 

Hermione stopped what she was doing and looked at him. She had not been thinking about his worries like she probably should have. But what he said made sense, why the dreams? She then started to murmur to herself, making him a bit nervous as he could not follow his genius friend. 

“English, please,” Harry snapped, here he had a mental breakdown, and she was not helping at all. 

Hermione ignored his tone as she looked up at him. "What if we have been looking at it the wrong way?" She asked it as a question but did not wait for an answer. "What if it is past life experience? I think I read about it in the soul bond magic somewhere here. but your changes have to come with some instructions, right?"

"eh, what?" That was it; she had lost it. There was no way that Loki -bloody _god_ of mischief and magic- in his past life had ever considered courting someone like _him_. "That is not even possible." 

“No, no, no, listen to me, Harry. It makes sense, you have a soul mark on your arm, something that is very rare, and your dream started simultaneously as you got it and your changes. It is also said that soul mates follow each other's souls even in the afterlife; they are, for lack of better words, made for each other. Two halves of one soul that are separated into two bodies, but they need each other to be stable. They will always seek each other out, and only with each other, they can be balanced and whole. Perhaps this is you starting to remember, and both your body and mind are trying to fuse? It makes so much sense now.” 

"No, it doesn't," said Harry and rubbed himself on the forehead. 

" Yes, Harry, listen," Hermione walked around the table and picked up a parchment she had put away earlier. "Remember that part of the prophecy. _And the Lord of Darkness shall mark him as his own, but he shall possess a power which the Lord of Darkness does not know_. What if it not only meant the sacrifice of your mother's love, you've always had a greater affinity with magic than anyone else I've ever heard of. And not only that, the deathly hallows chose you as their bearer. You managed to kill a man that not even an adult, training Auror could do. And the Hollows choose you to become their master, and you're titled master of death“.

"Not by choice," he muttered, feeling the pulsation inside his forehead.

"I know, Sorry," she said quickly. "But you have to understand that you've been loved by magic all your life Harry, so maybe ... maybe this is magic and fate's way of giving you your reward, for what you did? ” 

He snorted and shook his head. "Since when has _fate_ ever been kind to me?" but he hated to admit that what she said made some sense, not much, but some. “And how can someone like me ever have Loki as a soulmate? that is bonkers, Mione.” 

“No, it’s not” His bushy haired friend turned to him," death is all about balance, right? “ Harry nodded,” and Loki is not only the god of mischief, lies, and magic; he also has the title of being the god of chaos.”

Harry sat down on the sofa in the room and massaged his temples that now were pulsating painfully. "What has chaos got to do with it all?"

“Not many people know that wherever there is chaos, things are creating, so if Loki is the god of chaos, he is also a god of creation.”

“Please, English Hermione, My head is killing me again,” Harry groaned as he narrowed his eyes when the light began to become too much for him

“To stable chaos, you need balance, to create the balance you need death.” 

Harry let his head fall back on the sofa with a painful groan“why can't _anything_ in my life be simple? I wanted a vacation to remodel the mansion, not remodel myself and get more chaos in my life.“ 

Hermione approached him and conjured a cold, wet cloth and laid it against Harry's hot forehead. "I think that you have to deal with it, and Magic probably has other plans for you than only the changes." 

"Love you too," Harry muttered ironically 

"Oh, I know," Hermione said without looking at him as she returned to her books. “Shouldn't you try to eat something? maybe soup? ” 

"Tried, no luck there," he said and held the damp cloth to his eyes that were burning. 

Four days and he still could not hold down anything more than a little dry bread and water, but he seemed to be able to do it so far. It was as if his whole body had decided to act against him no matter what he did, so he intended to take the easy way out. And a day without vomiting was a good day for him. He could feel Hermione's burning and anxious gaze, but he ignored it and massaged his temple again. 

He had started to remember more and more from the memories, not only when he met Loki, who was apparently Prince of Asgard but also those who were his parents' dream. He more or less had memories of a completely different life, and it made his head explode. It was almost as if he had two people's lives imprinted on the same small space.

On the one hand, he was Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived and the one who killed Voldemort and saved the entire English magical society from his tyranny. But the other life he was Harald, a young fae prince, whose life was the exact opposite of Harry's. A happy and lovable childhood, parents who loved him, a snotty sister who seemed to love to tease him but the freedom to choose what he wanted. And if he was, to be honest with himself, he was a little jealous of Harald's life. 

“Harry, perhaps we should contact St. mungos? ” Hermione asked nervously as she sat down next to him. "I do the best I can, but if you can not eat, and the headache is getting worse…."

"No, I've been through worse, and I can still drink without problems so that we can wait a little longer?" he said as a question, but she knew very well how stubborn he could be. 

She was silent for a while before nodding slowly, not that he could see it "alright, we wait another week; if you do not get better after that, you will meet one of the healers. " 

Harry made an affirmative sound; he could live with that. He felt the headache pulsate against his temple in time with his heartbeat, and he did not open his eyes again. He could feel the sofa dimp under the new weight of Hermione, and then he felt her legs in his lap as he rested his arms above them. She fixed the pillows behind her back so she could sit and keep him company while she continued reading. He felt grateful that his friends, no family, were there with him when this all was happening to him. He knew that he would be forced into a new dream by the severity of the headache. 

The soothing sound of turning leaves made Harry relax more and more; he couldn't help but, despite everything happening to him right now, be curious about what would happen next. It was almost as if he had the first floor for some sappy romantic film. He just hoped that it did not end in tragedy and that the legend of forget-me-not would only be a tragic legend and nothing that would affect Harald and Loki. 

Before he knew it, he began to sink into the dream state. Why could he not get one single typical dull and ordinary day? 

* * *

Harald was slowly walking in the royal garden. He had woken up early that day and decided it was a too beautiful day to stay in bed all the time. The palace would be awake by this time anyway. He opened the door and frozen in surprise. 

There, right in front of his feet, lay an innocent but beautiful yellow peony. A fully developed flower and a fresh scent hit his senses. Carefully, Harald stroked his fingers over the delicate yellow peony leaves and felt the sweet smell rising from the flower yet again. He had kept it close all the way out to the garden, where he now slowly walked along the excavated step and let the calmness into his body. Bumblebees and bees buzz among the flowers along with a small bunch of fairies that looked and laughed as they danced around him as they recognized him as one of their own.

It was in nature that he was born to be; here, he was the calmest and centered. But even nature could have a cruel temperament that no one could control. Much like his magic, and after being stuck indoors for so long, he enjoyed the serenity outside. A smile played on Harald's lips as he again focused on the peony. It was magnificent and was imbued with the now-familiar magic he had begun to love. He knew precisely who had left the flower outside his door. There was no one else. 

A pleasant tingling had traveled over his where the mark had started to develop again. Like the feelings for his counterpart, the flowers had reacted to the new development.

He looked down at his right arm, which was now visible to the outside world to view. After he had accepted the bouquet of forget-me-nots by Loki, he had also accepted his courtship, so there was no way he should hide it. So far, he had not regretted his decision.

Apparently, Loki had been looking for him all this time, but since Harald had not wanted to be found, the magic had protected him. After that night on the balcony, they had spent every day in each other's company, just talking and getting to know each other. He could no longer remember what he had been afraid of before. 

Harald gently stroked his fingers over the mark, It now went up to his elbow, and small blue forget-me-nots adorned his entire forearm. Between them, golden peony buds grew, each of which was closest to his elbow had begun to strike as the feelings for Loki started to sprout. He caressed his fingers over the last flower, and he could imagine the feel of the same texture on the leaves like the one he was holding in his hand. 

Suddenly a warm feeling spread inside his chest made him shiver, of what he did not know, but he could not stop smiling when he could still feel the magic tickle his arm. The mark continued to tingle, and he stared in fascination at it when, right in front of his eyes, a forget-me-not started to turn blue. His heart now beat painfully hard in his chest over what could be meant, and he could barely hold back the stinging sensation of tears that threatened to be pushed out.

Why was he so annoyingly emotional ?! this was not at all like him, but the feeling that grew within him could not be only his. No creature alone could create so much love, and he felt emotionally unbalanced. 

He can hear the loud songs and laughter of fellow creatures and Asgardians along the city streets that hid behind the walls. They were now on day 20 of the festivities, and he was starting to get tired and feel more and more trapped. Hence his escape to the garden. During these few days, Loki had managed to nestle closer and closer to him. Besides, Harald could not help longing for the next meeting with the intelligent and resourceful prince. Hear how his day has been mixed with politics and festivities. 

It was another thing that Harald could not understand, what was it with the Asgardians and their need to party and drink themselves helpless?. Harald stopped under the hanging birch low branches, leaned his head against the trunk, and closed his eyes. Feeling the nature around him, and started to lose the last of the tensions in his body. The feeling of being observed made him open his eyes quickly and stare down at the red fox sitting in front of him contentedly.

"A fox but still not, should I be worried?" he asked the animal, amused because he would recognize this energy anywhere. 

The fox made a small yapping sound and stared at him with jade green eyes. "What have you come up with now?"

In the next second, the fox turned into the black-haired prince who had occupied his thoughts ever since he woke up. 

Loki smiled innocently at him. "What makes you think I even did something?" 

So he _had_ done something, "because you're that obvious?" 

“I obviously? my dear, I think you're mistaking me for my brother.” 

"Oh, I'm sorry, Lord Thor, I did not know you started planning mischief when you do not run after a beautiful lady friend of yours. " 

"Me? chasing after some low lady when I have the grand prize right in front of me? I would think not, " Loki looked down at him over his close and tried to keep a firm face, but his eyes twinkled with laughter and mischief.

Harald laughed as a comfortable heat invaded his chest, and made his pulse racing. "So, who was the poor representative that suffers today?"

"Oh, no one suffered. But that perhaps depends on your point of view and how much they try to hold back their laughter." 

“Loki…”

Loki grinned at his little mate and pulled his slender body closer to his "Only one of the old hens who can not stop his cackling when the others were trying to talk, can say that he literary starting to cackling now when he tried to interrupt." 

Harald stared up at him with the surprise written on his face as he tried to imagine one of the elders and only cackled. He started laughing and hid his face in the soft tunic that Loki was wearing today and shook his head. 

“You are impossible; you know that, right?” 

“Thank you. I do try my best.” 

Harald smiled and looked up at him again and felt Loki drag him closer to his body and his warm fingers started to stroke soft circles on his hips. He tried to hold back the lovely feeling that spread through the contact, and he swallowed hard and let his gaze slide over Loki that was so close now. 

The thick black hair hangs down over his shoulders and curls at the end, and the deep jade green eyes were drawn down to his lips to then walk up again towards his gaze

Harald felt a heat spread over his neck, up to his ears and over his cheeks, and could not help beating himself mentally over the apparent heat. Something that Loki had already picked up on and now smiled amused down at him, This could not both be good, or perhaps it was. 

"You look a little warm there, little one, " Loki said with a smile that made Harald's legs almost turn to jelly.

"It's ... hot in the sun," he said in a low voice and turned his gaze away. 

Harald jerked slightly in surprise when Loki raised his hand and let his fingers touch his temple and let his fingers stroke down his cheek. Loki's fingers felt cool against his hot cheek; it almost felt like a cool breeze passing by them. It took all of his willpower not to lean towards his hand and cradle it, only so that he could feel more. The fingers stroked under his cheek and gently forced his head up so that the viridian green eyes met jade. 

"We are in the shadows, no sun here, do you want to try the lie again?"

Harald could not answer. Loki was so close to him now, just a decimeter from him, and he barely dared to breathe. He could feel both of their magic stroking against each other, testing and tentative. 

Harald suddenly had the need to hold onto something, and he retched up to Loki's hand and grabbed it, pressing his hand against his cheek. A warm feeling flared up under the skin as his magic accepted Loki's as if it had been his own, a golden hue caressing like a blanket over their skin. He raised his gaze and met the intense eyes that stared down at him. The air vibrates around them. 

He wanted to see more, have more, _feel_ more.

Suddenly without warning, Loki pressed his lips against his. The kiss was something he had never experienced before, it was violent and dominant, but at the same time, it pulled out all his feelings and needs. Harald pressed his lips harder against his, the kiss felt wonderful, and everything around them suddenly began to blur out of his mind. It was as if Loki attracted all his attention, sucking it all in, that he was the only one who was there for him and the only one who meant anything.

Six years of imagination raged through Harald's mind, and it took all his willpower to hold back the massive emotions that simmered within him. He had waited six years already; he could make this one count and take it slow, do it the right way. Harald parted his lips, and Loki took it as inauguration to use his warm tongue and invade his mouth. Loki tasted sweet of mead, and an undertone of electricity invaded his senses.

He could feel the warmth of Loki even though only their lips met. It was as if the air between them was vibrating, and he wanted nothing more than to put his arm around him. Harald was not prepared for when Loki suddenly pulled out of the kiss, and just the thought that it would end there made him make a dissatisfied sound.

Loki laughed and looked down at him with an amused and amiable expression, which made the treacherous heat spread in his face. The jade green eyes looked into his, as if they were looking for something, or was it his soul he was looking at? It felt like he could stare straight into it without any problems. Which made Harald feel naked in front of the intense gaze and when Loki raised his hand again as long as he touched those cold fingers at his lower lip

"So eager, but do not worry. It was just a simple taste," Loki hummed, which created a new wave of pleasure through Harald's body. 

Harald made a muttering noise, but before he could formulate a few words, his lips were covered by Lokis again, and this time it was a ravenous kiss. His lips parted immediately, and he felt his mouth being invaded by Loki in a way he could never even dream of and could not stop the sound that left him. 

Harald abandoned all attempts to maintain something resembling control, and his hands looked up into his silky hair to push him closer. Down towards him, locking him in place. It was as if he could not get enough of the feelings Loki created, he set fire to all his nerves with just a touch, and his lips were no exception. 

Cold, strong hands found their way under his shirt and made it go up enough for Loki's hands to move over bare skin. He could feel Loki's smile on his lips and felt the arousing sensation as his fingers stroked along his side. He could not hold the low moan in the kiss and made a surprised sound when Loki had suddenly put his hands against his thighs, just above the knee crease, and lifted him against the hard surface of the tree. With the smooth movement, Harald wrapped his legs around Loki's waist to stay up and felt how the kiss became more in-depth, and the spirit left him for a second. He had ended up ahead higher up in this position, which gave Loki direct access to his neck as their lips had separated. 

A gasp left him, and he bent his head to the side to give him better access to the light skin that was exposed under the collar. Loki pressed harder against him, and there was an unmistakable bulge in both of their pants that clearly showed that they were enjoying themselves. Harald locked his arms around Loki's neck and pressed against him so that their hardness rubbed against each other.

He made a sudden surprise, but pleased, noise when Loki's teeth were nibbling at the skin. He felt Loki's chest move heavily and quickly while he hidden his head in Harald's neck. The warm breath was tickling against his sensitive nerves. He let his hand caress through his shoulder-length hair and got a satisfied hum in response and felt how his arms tightened around him.

They stood there for a while, the magic vibrating around them like a warm blanket, and Harald could even see the flowers at their feet that had not been there before, and he gave off a low laugh. 

If this happened by just a kiss, what would their magic come up with when they became more intimate? The mere thought made his heart leap into his chest and a new heat spread through his veins. 

Suddenly they heard their name from the only god whose voice could make a whole army straightening up. It was the mother's angry voice. 

" Someone is in trouble."

" Hush, we are not here," Loki whispered and hugged him harder, and Harald had a problem suffocating the laugh that was trying to escape him as he let his arms close tighter around his mate’s neck. 

“She will kill us.” 

“No, only me, she adores you,” Loki said as he kissed the breathing vein in Harald's neck, making him shiver in pleasure. Perhaps they could stay like this a little longer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gash, Yeah, I'm sappy, and a hopeless romantic, and I love it! And I love to edit this stuff, and for you to enjoy it as much as I do. I wrote this story for my pleasure and to practice my writing. Just a heads up next chapter will be a little more heated
> 
> Funny fact:  
> A yellow flower means roughly “you are the sun in my life,” and a pink one means “I'm in love with you and promise to be faithful.” So imagine that the two colors in one likely means "you are the sun in my life, and I'm in love with you and promise to be faithful to you." 
> 
> Peony: I lie at your feet and swear to you, my eternal love
> 
> Forget-me-not: This flower has long been considered a memory flower of love or friendship. It can also mean, “Open your heart to love.” The small history, in the beginning, is all real history about the forget-me-not flower ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff ahoy! The story continues, and we have a few split scenes left of some core memories. This story is mostly AU but will come to the Avenger arc soon enough. I haven't decided how to tackle that yet, because I originally only wrote the memories and then like a half chapter of the avengers and Harry meeting Loki.
> 
> What would you like to read? tell me, and I will see what I can do :D oh and still no beta, sorry.

Some days like this one, when everything that could go wrong goes wrong, Harry wonders why he keeps on putting up with all the bullshit. Silently he wondered who he had offended in his past life for both fate and destiny to hate his gut.

Today, he had the pleasure to destroy not one, but two large mirrors in an explosion of shimmering shards. Was there not an old superstition about breaking mirrors and getting back luck? Or was it about a black cat?. Either way, he probably had 14 years more of bad, rotten luck to look forward too.

And not only that, as he had walked down the corridor, he had exploded three old vases, put fire to one of the portraits that had scolded him about being too old for accidental magic. Like he _chose_ to do it, blasted paintings. But when he had tried to finish the last repairs to one of the old rooms he had, tried to be careful… yeah right, there was a big emphasis on the _trying_ part right there. He had almost blown all the walls out as they took on all the colors in a rainbow. 

Harry could now finally say that he officially has broken his magic. _This_ so-called accidental magic didn't happen to a 20 years old wizard that had finished school. And not to be mentioned have been in a damn good war for the best part of his schooling. But then again, he had been introduced to the wizards' world at the age of 11, had each year been put through trial after trial, and the more questions he had, the lesser answer he got.

And the betrayal he had felt when not only had Dumbledore been his headmaster and the one that had put him with the Dursleys, he had been his magical guardian. 

It had been a chock when the Gringotts bank's goblins contacted him, and they had reviled his duties to the wizards' world. When they understood that he hadn't had any knowledge of it, they had been furious, and Harry could honestly say that he never wanted to see that again.

The goblins put him through a crash course in how to be a lord of ancient and noble hours as Dumbledore had failed to maintain that part and a few other core courses. 

Harry had always been proud of how fast he could learn magic, like a duck learn to swim. He liked the instruction that practiced by hand, and when anyone showed him how to do it. Let him practice independently, and he could learn almost what magic he had set out to master. Books and research, on the other hand, were something he gladly left for Hermione. Let's just say that it had been pure and utterly hell for him to get through. But he had learned much and seen the wizarding world for what it was—broken and flawed. 

But that was a problem for a later date; now, his magic was _entirely_ out of control, and not only that, Harry had a new horrible problem. A much bigger and more important one than some misfortunes in the past. 

Somewhere between when the dreams started, he had developed a crush on his dream man. And it hit him hard. He could not stop thinking about the black-haired Asgarian Prince. And the hot snogging session that invaded his dreams every night was not helping him at all. 

Harry pulled his hand through his hair and let his now long locks fall freely along his shoulders, and it suddenly felt like something was crawling on his scalp and down his spine. Another vase exploded right next to him, and he put up his hands to protect himself from the broken parts. But when nothing landed on him, he slowly looked up and blinked in surprise at the shield he had conjured before him.

The shield before him had a greenish hue blended with a tint of gold; it almost looked like a giant soap bubble. But what made him drop the protection was that he hadn't used his wand for that spell. Harry stared at the mess and then back to his hands as he lifted them and waved it tower the broken parts, welding it to do his bidding, and slowly, the vase started to repair itself. 

Alright, so wandless magic, that was fine, it was cool, he was getting stronger and perhaps a tiny bit better at it. If it had not been his magic that from the beginning was the problem that created the whole situation, he would surely have laughed happily.

Hermione had taken a look at him before sending him away to meditate. He had mastered a power boost before; he could do it again. After the hallows had chosen him, his magic had exploded much like this but on a smaller scale. Hermione had been the one who came up with the idea back then also and it had also worked, so why not this time.

Maybe he should take and run a bit in the woods; it had been a long time since he had been running in his animagus form. Perhaps he should check out the magical creatures that lived in the forest; it's been a while since he met Buckbeak and his flock. And he longed to stretch his muscles and just run without any care in the world. But not today, he needed to get some control over his magic so that he did not destroy their home. 

Harry walked to the newly named meditation room in the mansion and looked around the room. It looked exactly like it had since they were here last time. The ground was covered with a soft layer of mattresses, and there were four different pillows on the floor in a circle, facing each other with a bowl in its middle with crystal clear water. After all this month, it was still as clean and fresh as the day they put it there. 

The bowl was a grounder. It centered the mind and body, and as it was activated, there would be a fog that would cover the whole circle with a fresh scent of rain and forest. But for today, he needed the real thing. Harry walked over to the window and opened it, letting the fresh air in before he stepped back and took his place on the floor. 

He knew what to do to get into his meditated state and made contact with his magical core. But this time, when he finally was in touch with his magic, he directed his attention to the new feeling. His more raw and wild energy was leaking out of his core in waves. It was so different yet familiar. His core had a pulsing of gold and electric green as it moved around. It was still larger than his regular magical core had been. He could see the small tendrils of movements, like vines, wrapping around his core in different hues.

Harry could sense it better than ever before; the energy that was a part of him. Calling him in, telling him to listen and suddenly he felt a dragging sensation as another memory took hold of him, and he slinked down into the now-familiar fog 

* * *

"I still do not understand why exactly we're doing this," Harald said as his arms folded over his chest. He was not pouting; really, he didn't do pouting. 

Loki grinned at the moody man adoringly as he was pouting, “Because you asked for it?”

“I did not!”

"So you say that I heard your request wrong, little one?"

"Yeah, probably, you _are_ old."

Loki snorted, “I'm only 747 and still damn handsome, ”

Harald gasped in fake shock; his eyes were twinkling with amusement, " 747? Valhall, help me! should I be worried that an ancient one is courting me?."

Loki laughed, “Do not let my father hear you say that, and you are what? Two hundred years younger than me? It's not like you are the one to talk, love.”

Harald snorted and shook his head; he looked at the crystal ball in his lap that he had been focusing on for the better part of the hour. "When I asked you if you could show me your magic, this was not what I had in mind, you know,"

"What's a better way to see magic than experiencing it for yourself?" Loki asked from the seat in front of him, clearly still amused over the whole situation. Blasted god of magic. “As magic-user to another magic-user.” 

Harry gave him an annoyed glance without really meaning it; he liked these teasing moments, "You just want to see me fail and go back to rely on your knowledge, oh wise and ancient one. “He mocked “ Perhaps you want me to worship the ground you walk on, Prince Loki?" Harald bowed to him with twirling eyes. 

Loki laughed, and Harald could honestly say that it was among the best he had ever heard, and he smiled at him. How could he love someone to this degree? Was it even possible to love someone this much? 

"Come, enough talk; it is time to make a new attempt, and this time focus and lead the magic where you want it to gather," Loki explained as he looked down at his little mate with a warm gaze. He did not deny that he loved the chance to teach him something, and he had earned some well deserved alone time with the Fae prince. 

Harald nodded as he focused back on the clear crystal ball in his hands and closed his eyes to focus and see his magic better. He started slowly to try and pull the energy towards it. It was hard, and as they both had decided to take it easy and practice a little with their magic, Harald wanted to do the best of the situation.

The festivities were over, and Harald stayed because Asgard where Loki was, and he did not want to be away from him if he did not have to. His parents would not have had a problem with it, his sister, on the other hand, if her eyes could have killed him, he would have been dead ten times over. Why he had no idea, she should be happy to get rid of him for a while finally, but he shook it off as jealousy that he had found his soulmate.

Concentrating on the moment, Harald let his magic flow down from his center, and through his arms and into the clear crystal that began to change color, a light blue hue started to shimmer in its center. So far, so good, but he could not get the magic to collect in the crystal, but it was scattered around it instead and leaked more than was collected. 

He gave up.

"I can’t."

"Yes, it works, but you have no patience."

"You said this was easy to do," Harald glared at him.

"one of the first tricks I learned as a youngling," he hummed, "but your magic is different from mine, maybe that's why you can not use the same method?" Loki mused and let his hand hover above Haralds while he tried to feel the magic.

Harald looked at him a little thoughtfully now."How?"

"Your magic is more wild, natural, and connected to nature. My mother's and mine's magic is more controlled and focused. More direct, thinking och intension, and the magic reacts to what we want."

"Just like you, do you mean?" Harald asked, amused. "Love to have control and to take command? "

Loki grinned, denying nothing. "Okay, now that we've found the root of the problem, show me what you can do, and I will try it your way," he said excitedly; he loved learning new tricks. And for the sake of the moment, he would try and replica his mate's use of the craft. 

"Okay, this is something I know is easy, even for you" Harald looked down at the ball and grinned contentedly when it suddenly began to float in the air his knee. Energy covered the outside of the ball and shimmered in a golden hue as he pushed it up. The ball rose higher and higher until it was at head height and released the magic. He caught it in the air with a quick movement before it had time to fall to the ground and stretched it out to Loki with a challenging look. A simple levitation command. 

"Your turn."

Loki smiled and took the ball in from him and stared down at the crystal while he tried to make it, with pure energy, float. However, it was more challenging than one might think, the ball moved jerkily in his grip, and as time went on, he felt how the sweat ran down his temple. Trying and focusing his energy as he felt Harald had done. He had made it move and maybe hover an inch but then lost control, and it was back into his lap.

"Plenty of men your age have a hard time to get it up, that is natural," Harald consoled and tried to keep his face neutral as he teased him. 

"No, no, do not even go there, little one," Loki said and held up a finger to his damn mates teasing, "There is absolutely nothing wrong with my ability to get anything up."

"You could have fooled me," Harald said in a singing voice and smiled broadly at him when Loki gave him a dark look, and the smaller male snickered.

"That's it, you little minx, no more magic training for you," Loki scoffed and suddenly threw himself over Harald with a growling sound, which only made the other one howl in laughter while attacking him with long fingers that found every ticklish spot he had. 

"Are you giving up?"

Harald gasped after air, "Never!"

His response only made Loki attack him vengefully and use magic to make Harald almost shrieks in laughter. "Perhaps now?"

"O-okay !! ... Okay," He could not take it anymore, "I give, I give."

As suddenly as the tickling had started, it stopped. Harald breathed heavily and chuckled as Loki still was over him and let his fingers dig into Loki's hair. He held it in a steady griå for a while when the older man lying knocked over him was still laughing low and looked up at him far too pleased.

"I won," Loki said in a honeyed voice, and Harald could not even protest as he melted underneath his mate, he won this match, but this was not yet over!

Loki retched out a tentative finger and traced his chin slowly. Harald turned his face into the touch to kiss the fingertips. Harald locks his gaze with Loki's as he did this as he moved up to kiss him. 

The lips were soft, and he savored the unique taste of his mate as he hummed in content. Soothing sounds make their way out of his throat, and he shudders as their tongues touch as the kiss deepens. 

Harald felt the fingers trace the edge of his throat, jaw and up around his more pointing ears. Loki's lips followed his hands' movements down over his bare neck and to the side of his face to finally put his nose in the long black hair and breath in. 

A shiver went through Harald's body when Loki shifted so that he had one of his legs pushed up between his legs and softly poked his crotch. Harald forced himself to hold back a groan as he pressed a little harder up. His hands were in the other one's hair as they gripped it harder. Loki bit his neck lightly again before letting his lips suck just above his wildly pulsating vein, making Harald feel like a puddle on the ground. 

"Loki…" he tried to protest, but the protest was weak. He wanted this as much as his mate. But someone could walk in on them. 

Loki suddenly grabbed his hands and forced them over his head. “No” He rose slightly over Haralds so that his whole body was underneath him and the jade green eyes were much darker in color and his pupils black and wide of lust. He stared down at his flushed mate underneath him, 

The divinely enticing blush on his cheeks and the purple mark he had just left on Harald's neck stood out over the other bright complex. The black hair was spread out like a halo around his head, and Loki leaned forward and put more weight on his hands. Forced Harald to stay still under him, exactly where he wanted him. He quickly pulled his knee up a little against the now sensitive bulge in his little one's pants.

Harald held back a groan, and he became super focused on how the lean body under him aired up quickly in an arc against him. Loki changed his grip to hold Harald's hands with one hand while the other hand slipped under the cream-colored tunic. His long fingers caressed the perfect skin that was now exposed to his field of vision. He found a nipple and gave it a light pinch, which made the body under him gasp and rise in a bridge again.

"Be still," Loki felt how the magic formed around his hand that held Haralds in place above his head, and he could feel the heat that spread along his mark when the magic caressed it lovingly.

Loki let his fingers follow the flowering tattoo before he let feathery kisses rain over it instead, and Haralds gave a low moan at the sensation. He then let his fingers caress down over the narrow but nicely muscled arms. Harald was now breathing hard as the feeling set every part of him on fire. And he would be lying if he did not say that the light touch and nibbles shoot straight down into his stomach.

Loki smiled as he began to drip feathery kisses over his now bare clavicles, sent and tasted on his skin, and it was not long before Harald was a panting pile underneath him. The heat that spread through him was lovely and alluring, and his pants began to feel painfully tight.

Loki let the last knot in his tunic go, and the silky fabric falls to the side, only to show more of his pale treasure. His fingers stroked over the flawless chest, over the pink and now sensitive nipples. Loki kissed himself down to the navel and the black mat of hair that made a beautiful arrow down to the hidden gems. Harald gave a low moan as he did it and tried to ease the pressure in his crotch by moving his lower limbs against Loki's knee. 

"Someone is impatient," Loki chuckled as he looked down at him with a sneaky look over his face. Harald's dark eyes stared intensely at him. "Maybe I should leave you here" he hummed. Loki put his hand over the flat stomach, his breathing was now faster than before, and the look he got was hot and full of lust.

“You wouldn't…. dare,” Harald panted and tried to move as the touch now tickled him more than anything else, sending arousing shivers through him as the sensation washed over him.

“Oh? is it a challenge, little one? ” Loki asked and smiled amused as he contented himself with having full control over his little mate's pleasure. He found it most arousing when his little one whimpered in pleasure, begging him to release him from the torture. It was not the first time they had played this game; he was in control, and Harald had almost already lost it. 

Or at least, that was what Loki thought, but once again, his little one had surprised him with a godly strange that he didn't know he had possessed. And in a second, their roles had drastically changed, leaving Loki to blink up owlishly. 

With little to non-effort, Harald pressed his lower body and legs up against Loki and flipped them over. The magic that Loki used to hold Haralds hands to the ground was broken with small green glitter dust as the only proof that it had ever been there. Pride swelled within him, and Loki's dark gaze fixed on the dark angel who now towered over him.

Harald stared down at him and moistened his lips before they spread out in a satisfied smile when Loki gave of itself a low moan from the moment. A chilled but pleasantly feeling spread from Loki's hands, and he made a surprised noise. 

"Oh yes, it's a challenge," Harald challenged as he finished his spell and let go of Loki's hands that now were in place thanks to the help of one of his sealing spells 

"You know, my love, there are families that have a special kind of magic,” Harald hummed as he looked down, really satisfied by his work. it was the best so far “ Our family happens to be very, _very_ knowledgeable in sealing" 

“Oh? You do, don’t you” Loki Laughed as he tilted his head back so that he could look at the greenish chains that held his hands down to the ground. 

He looked back at his mate and felt a shiver shoot through his system at the predator-like smile Harald had on his lips, "so try to get rid of this if you can,” He purred as he sat back on his rear that was precisely over Loki’s crotch. Making it a little bit hard to concentrate, but the challenge did not go unanswered.

Loki began to feel his way over the newly made magic sealing as Harald looked down at him, smiling like the little vixen he was. 

The sealing was surprisingly complex and well done. Loki could see how this would be a problem as it would not go away quickly. And to think that Harald had done this in a second was amazing. Silently Loki wondered how much he could bound if he had time to do it more firmly. Could his whole family do it? Of course, they could; he had said that it was a family thing. 

Harald grinned when he saw how Loki began to focus on his task, and he could hear his thoughts as his mind was running away with facts and possibilities. 

However, this was an occasion Harald did not intend to escape from him. How many times could anyone say that they tricked the god of mischief and sealed his hands to the ground? Open to any kind of attack. And he would not make it easy for his trickster to get out of the bondings. 

Harald let his hand slowly caress down over Loki's chest and pulled on the string that held his tunic together. Jade's green eyes opened quickly, and the intense gaze stared at him, and he just smiled back innocently

Harald just smiled innocently and let his fingers caress the flawless skin. "Do you have a problem, my beloved? Was it too difficult for you, perhaps?" he teased and let his hands find their way under Loki's clothes. 

Loki was entirely at his mercy as long as he could not crack the code on the bounding. Harald could easily feel the bulge growing beneath him, poking him, and it made Harald feel braver and probably more devilish than he should bee over the control he now had gained.

"Do you like this?" Harald moved his hips, drawing out a moan from the man, and he slowly pulled his nails down in front of Loki's chest, which made him lift himself slightly upwards.

"What did you say now, my love?" Harald hummed as he looked down at Loki's now almost black eyes as his pupils were so dilated. "if I remember correctly, you like to be the one in control?" he purred sweetly.

Harald moved slowly down Loki’s legs and positioned himself between them. Loki followed his movement, like a predator looking at his prey. 

“What? Did the cat get hold of your tongue? ” Harald teased as Loki let out another groan as his fingers stroked the now noticeable bump in his pants. 

“Just you wait, when I get loose…”

Before Loki could cope with what was going on, tender lips nibbled at his stomach and were teasingly traveling lower. Harald smirked when he felt the new fluttering feeling inside of him was speeding up as he was the one in complete control. His hand caressed the bulge that was captured in the pants, and grinned when he heard Loki's breath change again, he was achingly hard.

"Did you say something?" Harald asked sweetly and slowly kissed the skin on Loki's hips, which made him shudder again. Harald could now see how he was trying to focus on getting the magic off now more fiercely than before. 

"I love the way you look at me, have I told you that?" Hadrian hummed and kissed the pale skin just an inch above the hard bulge. "Love to hear your voice as you speak sweet nothing to me, perhaps I have to find another way to hear that sweet silver tongue of yours again?"

Loki's chest heaves as he contemplates what is about to happen, and his eyes are dark with lust. “You are playing with fire, little one.”

“Perhaps, but I know that I can take the heat,” Harald fingered with the lining of his pants, grinning like the cat that got the cream. 

Harald slowly began to unbutton Loki's trousers, and it was not long before his pulsating cock was free from its prison. It was not overly large but still impressive, and long, he had never done this to his love before. It had always been Loki who had pleasured him like that. But not today. Today the trickster god was under his control and his alone. 

The position and feeling of his rock hard cock out in the cold air around them made it hard for Loki to concentrate on the magic and how to break it. Harry suddenly let his hand slowly wrap around Loki's shaft and stroked him slowly, making said man hiss in pleasure, and his hips pushed upward and into his smaller lover’s hand. 

Loki gave off a suffocating moan as the little devil started to painfully stroke him. Harald grinned as he suddenly switched his method and bent forward over his crotch as he let his tongue run down his cock shaft. 

He hadn't known that it was possible, but the cock hardened even more, and a gasp left the bounded prince lips. Harald wrapped his lips around the head of the cock, and Loki groaned as he forgot about the seal for a second. The warm sensation made him pull on his arms as the overwhelming feeling crashed inside of him.

Loki’s breathing was now getting fast and faster, and Harald could feel the man's burning gaze on him the whole time, and it was the most thrilling sensation he had ever experienced. Harald wrapped his hands around Loki's cock again and popped off it with saliva running down his chin as he took in the state his lover was in. 

"Are you alright, love?"

"Don't you dare stop now," Loki growled breathily, making the smeller male chuckle.

“So bossy,” Harald hummed as he lifted himself and caught Loki's lips with his own in a heated kiss. 

Loki had never thought that he would feel so excited that his little, seemingly innocent mate could act so dominantly. And not only that, his magic welcomed the act and even seemed to steadily underneath him. 

Harald smiled at his lips and let his hand slowly move up and down over his shaft and listening to Loki's sweet gasp. He returned to his previous gentle care of his mate's cock as he started to caress it again and let go of his lips only to allow them to begin sucking on him with more enthusiasm, drawing out even more, moans from the bounded man beneath him.

Lokis' hips jerks in tandem to his sucking before he cries out as his seed is spilled into Haralds waiting mouth, taking it all. Loki had barely come down from his heights before Harald started to lick off the cum that dripped out of the corner of his mouth, looking down at his mate with a happy expression.

Just then, Loki broke the bonding that held his hand-tied and pulled Harald down in a hungry kiss. He made a small laughing noise when Loki grabbed his long hair in a tight fist, and he felt the pleasant tingling of the pain that pulled down along his back. Harald pulled away just an inch and was guaranteed to breathe as panting as Loki were. 

Harald chuckled. “that good, huh?” The intense heat of magic and sex lay close around them, and he could feel the tingling along their mark, making their feelings known to both of them. 

Harald swallowed hard and let his forehead fall towards the older man’s and contentedly closed his eyes. Loki's fingers started to caress through his hair while they lay contentedly and just calm down. He moved a little and felt how his hard problems called for attention, making the man under him chuckle softly.

"Do _you_ have a problem now, little prince?"

"Not something that can not be fixed," he hugged and smiled when he opened his eyes, looking forward to getting paid back. But there was something he had meant to ask for some time now. " can I see your mark?" he asked

Loki hummed, "of course; it's yours as much as mine," he said and brought Harald's marked arm up to his lips and kissed the soul mark, which seemed to sparkle with golden dust. Perhaps it was only the magic that still clung to them.

Harald smiled and let Loki sit up. He sat on the side while Loki began to take off his shirt, and Harald needed to bite down on his lips at the erotic sight in front of him. Loki gave him a dark, intense look, a look that held so many promises before he turned around so that his back was against him. 

At the beginning of his hip bone and up to his shoulder were the beautiful blooming yellow peonies wrapped in a sea of forget-me-nots. It was large, it retched half his back, and when their bond was complete, it would cover both of their right arms. Harald had wondered for some time now how big it was going to be, and he got his answer. 

Haralds let his eyes travel over the small flowers and the bigger one right on his shoulder blades. He allowed one of his hands to caress the flowers along Loki's back gently, and he smiled when he saw how goosebumps shot up along the bare skin. 

Without thinking, he let his lips rest against the bare skin between his mates shoulder blades. His arms slipped around Loki's upper body as he hugged him close. He already knew about it, but this only gave him a confirmation, and he felt a bubbling feeling grow inside him. Loki was his, only his, until the end of time, until the end of their worlds, even until Ragnarök. Their bond was strong, powerful even, and would not break easily. 

"Thank you," he whispered, leaning his forehead against his warm back, breathing in his unique scent, cedar, and fire.

"for what?" Loki asked with a husky voice, "you only have to ask, and I will get it to you," he said and hugged Harald's hands around him. Bringing up his knuckle and kissing them lightly.

Harald shook his head "because you are mine," he said, knowing how that sounded like a love-struck fool, and that was precisely what he was. Loki, on the other hand, just laughed softly

"It is I who shall thank both fate and magic for you, my beloved," Loki said, turning in his arms and smiling insidiously down at him. "Let me now show you how much I adore this godly gift given to me so generously, and I do believe you still have a little problem that needs to be taken care of" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, this was my first time writing a lime. I hope that you liked it. I can promise you that I will be writing more and perhaps also a lemon ?. Soon anyway, because practice makes perfect, right? ;)


	5. Chapter 5- into the woods

The Potter manor is one of his ancestral homes, Black being the other, but he liked this place better. It was built in late 1066 by one of his ancestors, who got permission from the king to create this family home. The manor had several grand rooms for different uses. So far, Harry had seen a potion lab, a few bed chambers, an elegant dining room, and the library, of course.

The Potter foyer was one of the first things people saw when they entered the old castle-like building. The hall has not been updated since the 1800s and contains statues from all of the occupants' travels. There was a large grandfather clock, several enchanted suits of armor acting as guardians of the house, and a picture of an old town hanging on the wall to the right. The ornate patterns on the roof and floor were said that Christopher Wren, a known designer at the time, did around 1700 and were in the complete wooden design.

The foyer also contained the grand stairs in the whitest marble you could find, which lead to every other room in the manor. What surprised Harry most was that there were even old parchments that said the estate had once been co-owned by Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin. But whether it was true or not, he did not know, it was ancient documents, and it was not something that Harry was going to focus on right now. But he had a blast to fix it all up like it use to look like.

Today he needed to get out of here; he walked along with the open courtyard with definite steps towards the forest. Ron and Hermione had decided that they would go on a much-needed date. The gods would only know that they really needed some free time for themselves and not always worry about what was happening to him. And if anyone asked Harry, he thought they were worrying too much; everything had been resolved so far, so why shouldn't this do the same? It was not just that he could die anyway.

Much had changed, but at the same time not. After his meditation and the memory that had come out, he had his magic felt very strange. Partly because he finally accepted what the dreams were, that they were memories from a previous life. And he had begun to look forward to seeing what would happen next. But Harry could not put his finger on what was bothering him the most at the moment. On the one hand, it felt like he suddenly saw the world with new eyes; everything was so sharp, colorful, and vibrant. And it was not because of his lack of eyewear; no, there was something that had changed within him.

Simultaneously, as he embraced the new information, he felt how the faint feeling of anxiety had begun to grow inside of his chest. Because he was here now, right? he had not had any memories of Loki, Asgard, or the fae until he began to have these dreams. It meant that something had happened that made him forget the life he once lived, and he had no idea what had happened, but something must have happened. The question was just what.

To make it easier for him and his friends, Harry decided he needed to let go of everything around him and just run free in the woods. It took them some years of intensive training to find their animagus forms and a few extra months of research and get acquainted with them, but all three were now registered animagus by law.

Harry smiled as he took a deep breath, and his lungs filled with the scent of the damp forest. It was still some drizzle in the air, and heavy gray clouds hung heavy over his head, but he did not think it would rain too much for a while. Harry closed his eyes and felt his magic react immediately, and the transformation began to pull over him. He exhaled slowly to embrace the familiar feeling of changing body parts. Before, it had hurt, but now, it was like a second form. He could switch between the two as quickly as he could change clothes. 

Harry's body began to shrink, and dark fur grew out of his fair skin that took on a darker tone. His jaws became more robust and more extended, his teeth reformatted and became sharper, sharp enough to tear muscles and crush bones. All scents became more noticeable, and he could hear the buzzing of a dragonfly several meters away from him. Slowly Harry opened his eyes to the new perspective, and he stretched his stiff body loudly; a happy humming vibrated through him at the beautiful feeling.

After everything that had happened in the last few days, he was delighted that his animagus form had not changed in any case. That meant he was still him, at least to some extent, that he had once been Harald, but now he was Harry Potter, son of James and Lily Potter. Harry did not wait very long before setting off at full speed, his massive muscles tensed and stretched while his claws tore up tufts of grass and soil from the ground. The massive midnight black wolf body began to maneuver easily in the familiar forest.

WheHarry first had seen his form; he had been disappointed for a second, he had thought, given that his Patronus had been a stag, that he would be it in this form also, just like his father had been. But after everything that happened and after he defeated Voldemort, his patron had changed into a giant wolf. Maybe that was the effect of the fact that he died ?.

However, it had been Ron who and his helpfully commented that he was not his father, that made him stop. He was Harry Potter, not James Potter, so why would _his_ animal be his fathers when he was his own person? An animagus was the spirit animal. It represented who you were.

In any case, something had changed within him, and he had his new form. Harry was easily twice as tall as a regular wolf and more muscular. Hermione joked that he was a wolf, an ancient werewolf who could deliberately switch between his shapes. Something he was not entirely against, the form suited him.

After running for a good while, Harry began to slow down and began to trot contentedly and enjoy the freedom that the shift brought. The last few weeks had been tough on his body and mind, but now the changes had become more calm and stable. He still had a headache but not as severe as before. He let the magic of the forest close around him; he could feel the magic vibrating in the air-ground. Harry took a deep breath in the scent and paused for a second. His head held high and let the drizzle fall on his body, and he just enjoyed the tranquility the forest gave him.

He still could not believe that he owned all this because Potter was one of the oldest families; they also had one of Scotland's largest magical properties. The land that stretched around Potter Manor was something out of the ordinary magical forests. Several hectares of forest, meadows, mountains, and lakes merged into the pristine medieval forest. After he moved in, Harry tried as often as he could to walk among the magical animals that lived there; he could easily survive outside for several days without returning to the mansion. He made sure to do it often as it gave him inner peace.

However, this evening seemed different; why could he not have a single evening in peace?. A dull, irritated morning vibrated in his massive chest when he felt a sudden cold and heavy feeling pull in over the forest. A sense that has not been there a few minutes ago. The unpleasant feeling that spread through him cooled him into the marrow. But there was no scent in the air; it was almost as if he could feel the vibrations in his core. Whatever it was, it was something that disturbed the magic in the forest.

Harry began to go in the direction where the feeling was sipping from the most. His instincts had not yet led him astray. And suddenly, his sensitive nose was hit by a smell of rotten flesh. Whatever it was, he had not encountered this smell before, and it was not a familiar smell from the usual visitors in the forest. His green eyes narrowed before he started running in that direction. Something inside him screamed at him to hurry. He needed to get there quickly. The smell of decay became denser, and it was almost as if he could see a black-purple mist spread over the ground. The strange energy and feeling only grew and accelerated him further. His muscles shouted at him that it was going too fast, but he had to catch up before it was too late.

Harry practically flew over the fallen trunk that was in his way, and suddenly he heard a sound that made his insides become icy cold. A high-pitched childish scream cuts through the dark forest. He knew very well what magical creatures were moving in the woods; he had even seen herds of winged horses that contained Abraxas, Granian, and Thestraler. Hearing whining sounds from them was not uncommon, but such a terrifying scream was not usual, not with that undertone, almost like a human last death cry. And he had heard enough of such screams to recognize it.

After the battle of Hogwarts, after all the death that surrounded them, he had noticed a magical creature fighting alongside them. And he knew of what that sacrifice meant to said beings. Harry had no idea what he was thinking after all, but he had sought out his old division professor to present his offer in the days after the battle.

The forbidden forest Centaur herd had not allowed him to return after the battle as they considered him unclean and degrading. It left him homeless and without a job; Firenze had then wandered without a herd for a while before encountering his mate, a beautiful red pinto male named Orion. The centaur was more white than red but what had caught Harry's interest was that Orion had wings on his back!

He had never seen a winged centaur before; Orion was soft-spoken and careful and did not attract attention. So when Harry met them, he, of course, opened his possessions for both of them to live in peace without having to worry.

It had not taken much persuasion on Harry's part to get them here, and he was glad he could open his home to one of his old teachers. But in recent years, more outcast Centaurs had found a home in the Firenze's herd; if Harry does not remember wrong, they were now seven adult centaurs in the pack. Besides, this spring, they heard had been blessed with foals, something that was highly celebrated. It had been so loud that the golden trio had been able to listen to them from the balcony. 

Firenze had been blessed with twins, and two other couples got a foal each. So now four prosperous and happy centaur foals ran on his property in a colony that had begun to grow more extensive than the one at Hogwarts, and not as threatening or proud. These were new times, and these Centaurs embraced both what the stars said and what they could learn from what was happening around them.

But it was also one of the foals who was now screaming in fear not so far from him. Harry shot forward even faster than before, magic caressed his tense muscles, and the smell of decay grew stronger. He could now see a humanoid dark-skinned figure in front of him; the dark shadows that the forest cast over them made the figures more horrible.

The closer he got, the more of the distorted creature became apparent as it dragged itself dragging forward, the long arms trailing behind it. Blood dripped from its long front teeth in a breathtaking sound leaving its black mouth. He immediately recognized it. A living dead. He had no idea how a Ghoul could have invaded his property had the wards fail somehow? Oh damn, he had not even thought of that before. He probably needed to do something to fix it later on; he had not even thought of the idea of renewing them. Surely, no one had done that since his parents lived here twenty years ago.

Harry flew at the creature with a loud growl, and his massive body tackled it away from its prey. The little palomino centaur lay knocked to the ground and had trouble getting up, fear loosening in the little foal's face. Harry stood protectively in front of the little creature, hoping she would not be too afraid of him.

Harry lowered his massive head, and his lips were parted, and bared his sharp teeth, he stared intensely at the intruder who was slowly recovering. Harry had encountered both werewolves and vampires but never a ghoul before; how did you kill it? And what did this one do here? Why was it alone? They used to wander in flocks, mush like dementors.

The creature suddenly threw itself at him with a snarl, and Harry pushed away all thoughts and instead focused on neutralizing the dangerous creature in front of him. He could not use his magic in this body, but he did not need it either. He had both sharp teeth and strong claws that could tear creatures to pieces. It did not take him many minutes before the creature's body collapsed into a pile on the ground. A dark liquid flowed out of the body and eroded the land around the fallen body, slowly breaking down into a more dust-like substance.

Harry made a panting noise to clear his nose of the disgusting odor, raised his head, and listened to the forest, sniffing for more enemies. The feeling within him purred in satisfaction when there was no more danger, the creature's gross darkness was still soiling the natural energy, but it was no longer a danger.

Harry turned slowly and looked at the foal that was now a reasonable distance away from him and shook in horror at what had just happened. The foal's big blue eyes were wide open, and Harry could see blood running down the foal's injured arm and shoulder, but otherwise, she did not look too injured. He made a low whining sound and crouched down a little to make himself smaller so as not to scare her anymore.

He could see the small wings protruding from the foal's back fluttering a little, and together with the blue eyes, he could clearly see who her sire was. So this was one of Firenze and Orion's twins; the question was, what did she do alone so far in from the herd? 

Harry crawled slowly forward towards the foal and kept a low profile all the time, and as she crawled backward, her legs fluttering wildly beneath him in fear that he would attack her just as well. Harry hesitated before slowly lying down, letting a faint growling sound coming from him. It was a pity she had never met him before because by then, he had already been able to help her with his wounds, but the herd kept to itself, and Harry had not wanted to push on.

He remained on the ground and kept his head low. Waiting. Centaurs were very protective of their young and never let strangers near them until they were at least six months old. The young mare stared at him with big sapphire blue eyes, and she did not seem to know how she would react to the strange wolf that had saved her.

“d-don't e-eat ... eat me? please, Mr. w-wolf, ”she stammered low with a voice filled with both pain and fear.

Harry shook his head slowly at her words, his response seemed to calm her down a bit, but she was still tense and ready to try to escape in case she needed to. He slowly raised his head and tilted his head slightly. His emerald green eyes were fixed on her while he waited for her to calm down. Should he change? No, then she would probably be too scared and hurt herself more. She needed to calm down before, and Harry kept quiet while she took in the whole situation.

The filly blinked slowly and began to relax more and more; he could see how her gaze shifted in from the ghoul and back to him.

Harry could do a little happy dance as her gaze began to shift a bit more and more as she thought. As she realized that he was not an ordinary wolf, as the one her parents always warned her about. He also seemed to understand her and made her hesitate a little, but the green eyes caught the young mare's attention. She had heard stories about the brave man who opened his home to them, but she remembered that he would have intense forest green eyes. 

"a-are you sure?"

Harry made a low hopping sound and nodded. His tail wagged gently along the ground, branches and dirt were guaranteed to get stuck in the bushy tail, but for the moment, he ignored it. He needed to calm the mare down, and he was delighted when she spoke again, and now she had figured it out.

“Mr. Potter? ” the big blue eyes were filled with tears when she asked this, and her whole body was now shaking violently. Could it be their protector who saved her? She had heard her sire and carrier talk about the young wizard who owned the forest they lived in and his great deeds in the war that happened several years ago. All the foals in the herd loved to hear stories between them and learned to read the stars.

Harry nodded when she knew about him and took it as a confirmation that he could get up and take a step closer to her. This time she let him, and she remained in her place. He sniffed gently at her hoof and looked up at her as she stared down at him. He could see how her eyes began to get an unfocused look in her; she had started to go into shock. Harry raised his head and listened to the forest around them. He could not hear any other centaurs, so the herd must be some distance away, and according to his calculation, it was a reasonable distance to the mansion. 

It was also not a good idea to walk with an injured foal when darkness fell, too many predators. Harry gently pushed on the foal's arm, and she raised it at his urging, slowly she gently stretched out her hand towards him. When the foal then gently pulled a shaky hand through his fur, he made a low vibrating sound and pressed his head against her hand. He tried to let his energy spread around her, calm, secure, safe.

Her eyes shone with tears that now began to fall down her pale cheeks. Harry then slowly withdrew from her touch and then shifted back to his human form in front of her. His long black hair fell wildly around his shoulders, and it moved in the weak wind that his magic exudes, and he squatted in front of her with a calm smile.

"Hello there, little one," Harry said softly when the foal jerked but thankfully did not escape from him.

"It's okay," he continued, holding his hand to hers, and she stared down at it as if she thought he was going to eat her. "You know who I am, and I suspect I know who you are."

The mare closed her eyes, "do you?" pep she, and Harry nodded. "Either you are Thea or Nova."

The foal stared up at him, and he could see the wonder spread when he said her name. “N-Nova”

Harry nodded, "Nice to finally meet you, Nova; I'm a good friend of your Sire," he then said, holding out his hand to her. “Could I review your wounds? must they hurt you very much? ”

Nova suddenly made a low whining sound, as if he suddenly reminded her that she was hurting herself and realized that it hurt a lot. Tears now ran down her cheeks in a steady stream, and her breathing increased.

"Yes-s," She said, "I want to Sire aa-and carrier," she snorted, and her body now began to shake when the shock started to grip her, and Harry decided to take the risk and get closer. When she was not protesting, he put her arm in a light embrace and let his magic embrace her more and more. 

“Hush, Jag vet little one, I will take you as soon as you can walk properly, alright? I'm not going to leave you here.”

She made a new whining noise and hid her face in his sweater, and her arms clung to him while he held the little foal and rocked her softly back and forth and pulled her fingers through the light hair. When her tears finally began to subside, he looked down at the exhausted Nova and wiped a tear away from her cheek.

"May I look at your wound, Nova?" he asked her softly because even though she was only a foal, she was a centaur; they _were_ proud creatures by birth. And even though an adult centaur would probably deny him, he hoped this little one would not. But he did not have to worry much because after a bit of thought, she nodded, head still buried in his shirt. Harry smiled weakly and let his hand hover over the wound on her shoulder, and he could feel his magic gather under his palm. He could not heal it entirely, but he needed to stop the bleeding.

"Can you tell us what happened to Nova?"

"w-we played by the p-pond," she exclaimed in a high pitched voice when the uncomfortable feeling swept over her shoulder. “Thea chased me, Malar and Rapkin, it was fun, we were so fast, and they could not catch up with us !. We were so fast, and everyone ran around, ”she said with a now big smile on her young face. The tears were still there, but she was stuck in her story. "Rapkin suddenly disappeared, and I did not find him again. Then I noticed that the forest I were in was strange," she mumbled a little lower than before. "I was scared, tried to find a way back again, and ran faster for I know carrier hates when I'm away too far of, but then I came across…. encountered that…t-that…. ”

Harry hugged her again. The last thing he needed was for her to break down again. "It's okay. I think I can put together what happened afterward."

Harry could now feel her hands digging into his long hair and her head resting against his shoulder as if sucking in his closeness and energy. Honestly, it was a bit annoying; he had no idea what to do with children, much less a magical creature like the centaurs. Harry looked down at the foal that had begun to shake again, and he let his free hand stroke his platinum blonde hair.

"You were so brave, Nova, so good," he said to her comfortingly.

He had never been more about centaurs being so close before, but this was only a foal, who also experienced something terrible, so it was no wonder that she sought security. Harry looked down at the wound, which had now closed nicely but was still an irritating red mark. It would leave a scar behind.

"I'm staying with you tonight, so we'll go to your flock tomorrow, okay?" asked her low, but he got no answer. Harry looked down at her and saw that she was already asleep from exhaustion on him. He quickly checked her hooves and wings for more injuries but found none, thank goodness.

He took out his wand and waved it in an intricate pattern before breaking up some protective barriers and notes-me-not charms around them. When he was happy with the result, he changed shape to the giant wolf again to keep her warm and that he could hear much better in this shape. Luckily, neither Ron nor Hermione would notice that he was not coming home; they were probably fully occupied by each other.

Harry lay down behind the foal so that the small body lay entirely between his legs and stomach. He could feel Nova moving a little in his sleep and digging his head into his warming fur. He listened to the forest around them and sniffed in the air. He felt it would be a long night. It was probably already after midnight when he finally gave up fighting the sleep that was already coming over him, and he felt safe enough that his magic would warn him if danger came too close to them. So he let the sleep wash over him and a new strange memory take its place

* ~ * ~ * ~ * **memory** * ~ * ~ * ~ * 

Loki was utterly painfully bored, and that we're usually not a good thing. He already missed his second half. They both had known that sooner or later, they would have to separate for a longer time. They found a pleasant balance to wander between their different realms and their lives. Loki let his thoughts flow for a while to his little fae mate; they had now been together and engaged with each other for several years. They had had their adventures and their obstacles along the way. Especially when Loki could create chaos wherever he went and whether he wanted to or not, he usually liked it.

But as Harald's 700th birthday approached, he would, according to Fae tradition, enter into his complete magical ability. There were three stages in their magical development, the last of which was when they were counted as adults in their family. There were several different things that this difference would bring; first of all, they would _finally_ get married. And apparently, his little one would get a power boost from the transcending.

If the rumors were true, Harald's magical ability would probably be doubled if not tripled, given the tremendous magical core he already had. He lived and breathed magic as it was; Magic was such a large part of who he was. So this separation was a more security measure. Harald needed to be in Vanaheim and not on Asgard. If something happens, heaven forbid, or if his transcending would be more violent, he needed their expertise. And sadly, Loki didn't have that kind of knowledge yet.

But Loki hated that he was not allowed to be there with him when it happened. It was his fiancé! He felt powerless when he could not be beside his little prince and protect him from all that he considered a danger or an act of irritation—mainly the big excuse for a brother, who loved dueling with his little mate. But that was a story for another time.

This was something that the older royals had agreed on, something that Odin stuck to, and everyone knew that Odin's words were law. It was useful for young couples to grow into their roles and strengthen their bonds with the distance. However, Loki was ready to ignore everything his father said and sneak over anyway, he had plans to do so tonight, and no one could stop him.

It was purely rubbish that they needed to be separated if you asked Loki, but then again, no one did. Loki grinned when his already created plan would happen already this day. He needed to meet his fiancé and did not intend to let his dear father's strange views stop him.

At the moment, Loki tried to play his role as an obedient son and concentrate on the pitiful excuse of a meeting that their father forced both Thor and him to attend. Thor, with his annoying careless personality, sat and slept - with open eyes! - which made him just look stupider than he was. Sometimes Loki wondered if they were even related or if his parents decided to adopt Thor out of pure mercy. Loki had always been the one who took on the more political part of their upbringing; he liked it, the cunning power play that was handled by well-chosen words. It is who he was; his brother liked the more aggressive form of his responsibilities; training and fighting were more in his fortune.

In these meetings, Loki managed to use his so-called silver tongue to its utmost ability and often without being noticed or accused of doing so. Sometimes when he felt extra bored, he could easily distort the words and create a bit of chaos in an already chaotic situation. It would not exactly make any significant difference. However, what irritated him was that Thor was the crown prince and could escape everything that Loki would be punished for if he was found out. Like sleeping in an 'important' meeting.

His blonde mountain of a brother, who always had difficulty keeping his interest in the subject, had significant problems concentrating if whatever subject didn't interest him. And he was their next king? Loki worried about their kingdom. He rubbed his forehead lightly as he heard another of the ancient goats, arguing over some gems and how the stars warned of desperate times. 

If he had to go through this torture, Thor would have to go through with him.

Loki sent the sleeping body an annoyed glance, there-were-no-excuses, and honestly, Thor was wide open to an attack. He only did him a favor by poking them out for him. Loki kept his face neutral while he only stretched his middle finger, and a bolt of energy suddenly hit Thor in the leg, which made the big chunk growl in surprise.

Thor flew up from the chair and saw wildly around him the cause of the pain and knocked down his goblet of wine that innocently stood in front of him. The red liquid now ran down to the floor, soaked half of Thor's trousers in red. Loki tried to keep a neutral expression and kept laughing when the whole room fell silent and stared at the spectacle that was his dear brother.

The older council stared at the Crown Prince, and Odin raised a bushy eyebrow over the rude interruption but did not comment. 

"Do you want to say anything, my son?" Odin's stern voice took on a different undertone than he had before.

"Emh… I ..." Thor opened his mouth but closed it again and looked utterly lost, like a puppy who did not know where his favorite toy had gone. He had no idea what had been said or happened, and he sought his brother's gaze and gave him an annoyed expression when he realized what exactly had happened. He knew very well who was responsible for his current situation. 

Loki looked at him with an innocent face and pointed at himself with big green eyes. Thor narrowed his eyes at him and let the silence fill the room, sober, tense, and a little bit of humiliating.

Loki cleared his head slightly, his eyes fixed on him instead, “What my dear brother is probably trying to get across is that maybe it's time to take a break, All-father, we have been sitting in this meeting since sunrise, and the sun is already high. heaven, ”

Odin nodded. "It's a great suggestion, Thor, let's take back this discussion mid-solstice," he said and hit his pole in the ground and got up, and the others quickly followed his initiative.

Loki rolled his eyes and shook his head at their father's words. Of course, he would believe that was Thor, and sometimes he wondered why he even tried. The sound of scraping chairs and footsteps led them out of the room followed the All-fathers command. Once they were out of earshot, Loki could no longer hold back the laughter that shook his shoulders, and he threw his head back as the sound pearled out of him. The blonde muscle mountain looked at him, annoyed when Loki broke down in front of him.

"Loki…." Thor said in a deadpanned voice, "that was a waste of good wine, and I had a nice dream."

"Really, now, brother?" Loki cocked an elegant black eyebrow, feigning wonder all over his feature. "Then you definitely have your priorities right" he continued to chuckle at his misfortune.

"It was just a bit of fun; relax, brother."

Thor gave him another annoyed look, "Little help, as compensation?"

Loki waved his hand, "Do it yourself; you have time."

"Loki-i" now suddenly whined a very dissatisfied Thor, "It's a long way to my room!" 

Loki just chuckled in response; he had to blame himself for his own clumsiness. Although he could quickly have helped him with his magic, it was a punishment for leaving him alone with the ancients. He was not the one who had slept during a meeting anyway.

Loki started walking from the meeting room with a brooding Thor behind him, so, suddenly he slowed down in his steps. An abnormal hurried feeling spread over his back, and without warning, an intense pain hit him straight in the back. It was like a dagger cut him over his shoulder blades and down to his hip. 

Loki could not help the panting that left him, and his legs suddenly stopped working as he fell on his knees. He could hear Thor's anxious voice next to him, but he could not listen to what he was saying. The skin suddenly burned as if someone had peeled it off, and it tore at his side, only his right side…. and only over his soul mark.

Loki ground his teeth hard together to prevent the scream that threatened to tear from his throat, and he grabbed his tunic to expose his shoulder where the soul mark began to grow over. Loki could swear that his heart stopped when his gaze fell on the market and saw the horror down on it. His eyes caught the difference straight away, but his brain could not understand what it meant.

The previously lush carpet of forget-me-nots and peonies was suddenly in the wrong color, and the flowers had begun to wither. They had already rolled into each other and weathered down to die in a horrible brown-gray color.

But that could not be possible; it just did not happen; the only time a soul's mark was withering and disappearing was when its equivalent was near death or, worse, already dead.

The fear and pain tore at Loki, and this time he could not stop the painful scream that ripped from his vocals as a new wave of powerful magic hit him straight on his back. It burned like someone tried to carve the flowers out. Loki screamed again when the feeling tore in his body and his soul when the magic suddenly was sucked in from the mark, drying it thoroughly.

Loki did not even notice when the darkness embraced him as everything he felt was the intensive pain that tore his whole existents and soul apart. He sank deeper into the infinite void when a strange emptiness arose in his soul, and he lost his light.

*~ * ~ * ~ *~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger. But sorry, not sorry? ;)
> 
> Yes, the memory was from Loki, but as they are the same 'soul,' I wanted to include him in the memory story.
> 
> Oh, And just as you know, I used the Firenze described in the books, not in the movies. I do not believe he got nearly enough time in the Movie as he was a professor for two years, was with them at Dumbledors funeral, and in Hogwarts' battle. And it pissed me off that they changed his appearance in the Movie. All the facts on the Potter Manor are from the Harry Potter fanon dot fandom. I fell in love with it and had to include it.
> 
> Until next time! \\-^^-/


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I'm not entirely happy with how this chapter went. I have tried to rewrite it at least three times now and still feel that something is missing. If you find anything that is troubling you or the plot, please tell me. I could use another set of eyes, because sadly, still no beta.

Harry had been right the night before, and sometimes like now, he hated to be right. The ghoul he killed had not been alone. He had awakened to his magic that warned him of the impending danger. It was not long before he could see four more ghouls, slowly walking around the barrier. Searching for something they did not know what, it was as if the ghouls could smell something of them but did not know where they were. 

Viridian green eyes followed them like a hawk, ready to attack and protect if they managed to find their position. The small foal next to his body was thankfully still asleep, but he could feel her head slowly moving against his flank. It would not be long now before she would wake up. 

If it had only been two more creatures, he could certainly have managed to take them on without any problems, but against four, there was no chance. Especially not if he both needed to fight them and, at the same time, protect the foal. So the best he could do was to wait for them to move on and try not to make any sudden noises or movements. 

Harry felt the filly wake up, and as she moved her arms towards his flank, he laid his head over her narrow upper body and held her in a small warning. Nova made a low noise, and he felt her head look up over his arch, and a soft squeaking sound escaped her. The sound was all that was needed for one of the nearest ghouls to stop and look in their direction. 

He pressed himself closer to the filly and never let his eyes leave the danger in front of them. The nearest ghoul turned towards them, aired with its more or less rotted nose, and took a step closer. Harry could see its grotesque half-rotten face more clearly in the first rays of the sun. The forest was still slightly damp after the cold spring night, and a light fog lay over the ground. There were no other forest sounds than the abnormal ones that the ghouls made, no birdsong, no small animal in the bushes; there was not even a breeze. Everything stood still. Harry could feel a trembling in the small frame as the ghoul walked closer to them. Slowly it swayed towards them, the scent became more potent, and Harry had to hold back the reflex to snort as the smell stuck in his nose in all the wrong ways. 

Some black substance ran down the ghoul's chin, and the pungent smell became more potent than before. Were ghouls poisonous? Harry had absolutely no idea, and he did not want to test that theory. Soon, after something that feels like an eternity, The ghoul stopped and slowly started to move back. They stopped in the clearing for a while after that and Harry kept wrapped around the little foal. Her face was now completely hidden in his fur, and her breathing was choppy. Slowly, he started to uncurl, and as soon as his head went upon, the barrier around them broke.

Nova started up at him from the ground up; doe-like eyes started up at him as he shook himself and stretched out his stiff body. Harry looked down at her when she had not moved and carefully nudged her with his massive head. She needed to get up so that they could move on. It was still early, but he wanted to make sure she was with her herd sooner rather than later as there were many different dangerous creatures in the forest.

Slowly Nova stood up on trembling legs, a steady hand on his fur. Harry gave her a low rumbling sound and nuzzled her calmly, making her giggle, which was what he wanted. A child should not make that face. 

They started to walk back to where the centaur usually lived, and Nova jumped a little anxiously next to him, but she still stayed as close as she could without stepping on him or being trampled on. Her wings moved anxiously and struck gently against his flank at each new sound that now began to sound all around them. As soon as the dark creatures had left, life returned. 

However, Harry had not understood how far into the forest they had walked before they walked for at least an hour. Thankfully, they had not encountered any down danger. Harry continued to walk in his form and his thoughts drew towards the latest memory / dream that had been different than before. It had not been away from Harald's perspective but from Loki's.

It felt a little strange, he had just gotten used to Harald's memories, and now this happened. Was it because something linked them together, more than the mark? And what had happened to the mark in the memory? Could Harald be injured or, worse, possibly dead?

Harry could remember how the burning phantom feeling spread across his right side.

It annoyed him that his dream had been interrupted when it had; he wanted to know what happened. Which in itself was amusing, as he only a few weeks ago wished they would just disappear and let him be. But now, it hurt him to see the pure desperation reflected on Loki's face when he understood something had happened. It cut into his very soul, and that disturbed him. 

Harry suddenly felt his magic pulsate and stopped. The mare by his side stood obediently still, and Harry could feel the ground beneath them begin to vibrate. The sound of galloping steps made him turn his head towards the sound, and his ears angledits attention in that direction. He took a step forward so that the foal stayed close behind him in a protective gesture if it was another herd. 

But soon, he saw the familiar bodies of the centaur flock that lived there, and he relaxed. Nova made a loud wailing noise and set off against them, and Harry let her go. 

“ Sire! Carrier! ” 

The reaction was immediate from the flock. Harry allowed himself to let go of his animagus form and stood up while watching the Reunion. He could hear Nova telling her what had happened, how the adults fussed all around her. Hugging, petting, laughing, and more determined selected words from a few elders. 

A centaur patted Nova on the head, and Harry could really see the relief on his face as he did that. The palomino centaur then turned and met Harry's gaze fully.

"Mr. Potter, we meet again," he said and did something that Harry had never seen one of the proud centaurs do; he bowed to him!.

It made him almost too embarrassed to respond because these creatures never bowed to anyone! Pride was literary in their blood. But Harry quickly turned his head in return as a sign of respect, "Firenze, may the stars shine brightly upon this meeting, my friend." 

As he had welcomed the centaur herd a few years back to come and live on his land, he also had asked them to teach him some of their ways. The centaur was a proud creature with highly intelligent minds; they even had been considered as beings, not at the same level as humans but neither mindless creatures. They were sentinel intelligent beings, and not as dumb beasts, but they had denied being associated together with hags or vampires. 

"And to you, my friend," the half-human, half-horse answered. "we are you forever grateful." 

" Please, get up. You do not have to bow to me. I just did what anyone would have done" Harry hated when people or, in this case, the centaurs, put him on a higher level than anyone. The last thing he wanted was to be placed on a pedestal. 

"Still, you protective Nova and took care of her injuries. It is something we will never forget," said the palomino, and he put a hand on his happy daughter's head as she trotted up to her father. Harry could now see the remaining flock straightening up and having the same determined but much more light facial expression. 

“Our meeting was predetermined in the stars, Mr. Potter. But as a thank you for the effort you made for my flock but specifically me, I ask you to accept my gift "Harry opened his mouth to protest.

But the centaur raised his hand" you will be able to ask three questions of your choice , and I will answer them as far as I can ”Florence and looked down on the young man who saved the life of his youngest, an honorable deed. He also could not help but see the changes the young Lord had undergone.

Harry wanted to protest again but stifled the protest and nodded. He had to choose his fights, and this one, he would not win without insult his generosity. He _had_ helpt his daughter. " I accept your gift, and thank you for your wisdom." 

Firenze nodded pleased and turned around, "Come on, let's return. You both must be hungry." 

Harry stared up at the blonde centaur, who was now starting to walk away. Three questions, he had to ask three questions without anything in return. Besides, it was from a naturally born creature with the gift of viewing and reading the stars. Thus, they all understood what had happened and what was destined to happen in the future. And he was able to ask three questions of his choice.

Harry had no idea what to ask. How could he only choose three questions when he had a thousand? As they walked back to the colony, Harry chatted with Nova or one of the adult centaurs. Some of them were very insecure about him; others were more outspoken and welcoming. Something that felt like the exact opposite of Hogwarts' centaur colony that was led by Bane. 

Slowly the forest began to thin out and widen its way towards a birch forest where the grass-covered the ground, and the sun's rays penetrated through the mouse ears large leaves that sprouted on the branches. Slowly, larger trees began to weave together to form houses-like structures. It looked like windbreaks and other a bit more stables where the ground was adorned with soft moss or rugs. 

In the middle of the small village was a larger fire pit that they had started to fill up with old logs and twigs. Along the hole were various large vessels with dried herbs waiting to be crushed and processed. At the far end of the table were also different bows and spears lined up, and he saw some centaurs coming to meet them, and the last three foals happily bounced up to their friend who had been found. 

Harry was placed on a stump, and a silver mare named Aera gave him a plate with different kinds of fruit, berries, and mushrooms on it. He was again thanked for his efforts, and a blush spread across his cheeks and neck for all the attention he gained. Firenze came walking up next to him with a smile and held out a goblet of water, "Thank you." 

The centaur bent his head slightly and let the young man eat and drink in peace but remained at his side. Harry could hear Nova telling her whole story to her sister and friends and he held back the smile of how she magnified everything. He followed them with her eyes as she enthusiastically began to gesture and jump around and make growling noises. 

Harry held back a laugh, put some nuts in his mouth, and felt the hunger tear in his stomach. Apparently, he was hungrier than he first thought. Not because he was particularly prominent in food, thanks to his upbringing, but he had at least gotten a little better. But he still needed someone to remind him to eat; otherwise, he would forget about the time and food altogether. It was a bit ironic, as he has not been able to eat much lately eitherway, thanks to the dreams and the changes. Harry stopped in his motion and looked down at the mushroom thoughtfully. Could his old professor know something about what was happening to him? that was the most relevant problem at this moment.

“Ask your question, Mr. Potter ”Harry looked up into the sapphire blue eyes, he did not even understand why he was surprised that he had known that.

He held back a low laugh and nodded. “What's happening to me, Firenze? What are all of these changes I am undergoing? " Should he be worried? Afraid? he should seek care for what happened at the hospital?. It almost felt like what these scavengers of journalists were waiting for—the boy who lived, strange mutations, perhaps even more dangerous than before, is he the next dark Lord?. And the sickest thing was that Harry could see in front of him how the whole UK wizarding community turned against him. If their beloved newspaper said that it was so, well, then it was true. 

Firenze nodded as if that was the question he had expected, " Have you ever heard about the creature inheritage, Mr. Potter?"

Harry nodded hesitantly. Hadn't Fleur said something about her being part veela? " Yeah, I think so, like veela's and vampire, right?"

The centaur nodded, "yes, among others. There is more to it than just a few creature blood inbreed into the Wizards Line. It comes in from several generations back when the magical people were still widespread and they were continually looking for ways to strengthen their "said Florence and crossed her arms over the well-shaped chest.

"This caused several superior bloodlines and a new kind of magic to begin to take place. But nothing became known until the magic-user reached their final magical maturity around 18 years . The creature magic would be triggered, and the holder underwent a substantial rise in magic and usually changes in appearance, depending on what creature they are part of "he continued, looking at the foals that now had calmed down and started to eat some food as well.

"I do not understand what it has to do with me or my changes," Harry replied honestly, he put away the plate; the appetite gone. 

Firenze looked down on him again and hummed low, “Some creature heritage takes time to develop because it requires a more stable core and density. To answer your question, Mr. Potter. _You_ have a creature inherited. ” 

Wait; what? "Me?"

"Yes, probably something from the fae as you have very humanoid changes and a massive density in your core."

Harry looked a little confused, "I thought fae were extinct eons ago? before Merlins time?" 

" Yes and no." 

Harry just wanted to hit his head on a trunk in irritation. When he received an answer to one question, 20 new ones showed up, and the cryptic centaur definitely did not help. Was it so difficult to give him straight answers? 

Firenze looked amused at the young man, so impatient "you seem to have a bigger task in life, there of the memories" Harry looked strangely at the centaur when he mentioned them. "Yes, I know them, there is a reason why you have not had access to them before, and that brings us to the second question."

This time Harry did not have to hesitate. He knew exactly what he wanted to know, " Why me ?" 

" It's the big question indeed, but the better one is, why not you?" The palomino centaur shifted, "It has been written in the stars for centuries about the death chosen one, but the one you were, the one you remember in your memory, was not worthy of taking over the title and the responsibility it entailed." 

Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Florence held up a hand and silenced whatever protests he could think of, "what does number three tell you, Mr. Potter?" 

" Huh ?" the question made Harry stumble over his thoughts again; the number three? There was nothing special about the number three, was there? 

Firenze looked over at his daughter, who had now come up to them, and she was holding her own present for her savior, Nova smiled and held up a feather and something that looked like golden horsehair. “Harry! this is to you,” she smiled and held them out to him, “ may I braid them in your hair? ” 

Harry looked a little surprised and Firenze gave off a low laugh "it's a lucky amulet, horsehair from her tail, and a hippogriff's first mowing feather as a lucky charm and an excellent protection." explained the elder, and Harry nodded and smiled a little.

"It would be an honor Nova," the mare smiled happily, and when Harry was already in a perfect position for her to tinker with his long hair without problems. The hair was now below his shoulder blades, and she started with gentle fingers, which became more and more courageous when she started grooming his hair . 

"Alright, As I said, the number 3 is the number of the child" explained Firenze "it symbolizes the growth and the magic that is a direct result from a combination of two other things. The number is full of energy and possibility. It is the beginning, the middle, and the end. We measure time by our past, present, and future. Even the sun have three stages, dawn, noon, and dusk, and we measure live our lives through birth, life, and ......death.” 

A cold feeling shot through Harry's body and made the hair on his arms and neck rise and it was not thanks to the little fingers that braided the horsehair and feather into his hair.

"As Voldemort was obsessed with magic number 7, but death, she loves the number 3, it's a sacred number for her."

Harry stared down at his hands, which he laied in his lap as his thoughts spun around in his head. Three, what did he know about number three? It was Hermione who had studied numerology together with runes, he had never cared. Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. If this was about death, then what did he need to think about those paths. The most obvious was that _three_ objects created the deathly hollows, so that was a start. Then we had the _three_ Pavarell brothers. The invisibility mantle sign was a triangle, and it had _three_ corners that enclosed both the elder wall and the resurrection stone. Harry felt his heart begin to beat faster and faster the more he began to fold. In prophecy, he was born of those who defied him _three_ times. 

Harry's hands had now begun to shake , in what he did not know, it could have been the adrenaline that washed through his veins as well as the fear that cooled his insides. He was part of the golden _trio._ The feeling of his stomach swaying caused nausea to double but he forced down the corrosive fluid, he had not vomited for several days now. He refused to do so now. Harry tried to focus on Nova's fingers through his hair, which gave him something of a grounding feeling.

"I see that you have begun to understand its significant meaning," Firenze said slowly. "You have all your life been part of a bigger plan, Harry, the one you were before in your memories, he is you but still not, for you to become a worthy master of death, you need to face death with open arms three times. “

Meet death …. three times.

Harry wanted to shout out the horrible feeling that struck him with anger, sadness, and maybe something more raw and dark than he wished to, but for the moment, he did not care. He kept it to himself, suffocating the feeling. He met death as a small child and managed to survive the killing curse. The second time was in Hogwarts' battle, where he voluntarily gave his life for the others. He had accepted his fate and, thus, also his role. He was the master of death now. He had passed the test that death had left for him. 

The cold hand gripped his heart, it was said, if he had met death twice in this life, he must have met death as Harald once. His hands now shook violently, and his breathing was irregular, the cold sweat running down his forehead and neck as he tried to hold back the nausea. Harry had just accepted that it was memories he had, visions of the life before this and that he had a soulmate. Harry stared down at his right arm where the floral tattoo spread up along his elbow and up over his biceps. They were alive, very dull in color, but they were there, not like Loki's last memory where they had withered and were dying. But these flowers were alive, which meant that Loki was just as alive. 

Loki was real and alive, somewhere. But it did not feel right either. Harry caressed his fingers over the pale petals; in his memories, they had been vibrant blue, soft purple, and golden yellow. These, on his arms, were like an old washed-out sheet, like the colors had been washed away. Still alive but not healthy. Harry had one last question to ask, a problem he had to know the answer to but was terrified of the answer itself.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Only a soft whispering sound left his throat at first, and he moistened his dry lips. He had to know. 

"my soul s-soulmate is he… i-is he ..?"

Firenze suddenly looked down at him, unblinking. The silence made it pretty clear that either he did not know or he knew and dreaded to tell him. Harry could feel parts of his soul begin to fall apart, a pain he had never experienced, not even during the cruciate curse had it hurt so much. It was like inhaling needles, and the slightest touch cut deep into his legs.

"What I can see, he is alive," the palomino said low, but something in his eyes was almost like pity; why was that?" but I can see the edge of darkness and madness surrounding his soul." 

So not well… not well at all. A sharp feeling made Harry jerk away and bend forward only to gasp for air. It suddenly felt as if something was clogging his airways as a giant hand hugged his throat. He tried to draw oxygen down to his lungs, which suddenly screamed for the need for oxygen. A metallic taste of blood what the last drop that made his stomach turn inside out and Harry could not keep its content down. He threw himself to the side and vomited up the little food he had managed to eat. 

Why had he never thought of that before ?. His memories of Loki were pushed into his field of vision, and his stomach vomited once more. He felt someone hold his long hair away from his face as he emptied the last of the pungent liquid. The pain in his chest and the suffocation feeling was suddenly too much for him to handle. And before Harry could do anything about it, he had collapsed and the darkness welcomed him like an old friend. 

* * *

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Memory * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * 

* * *

"Thank you for coming so quickly," said King Freye, Harald's father, as he personally led the small crowd. "We have tried everything, but he is getting worse quickly." 

"How serious is the situation?" Freya asked as they walked briskly beside the king and did not even stop for the door they were walking through was automatically opened by the guards as they stepped into a room that immediately felt heavier than the outside. 

"He is still alive, but we do not know for how long, we have our best curse breakers and healers dealing with it, stabilizing him for the moment, but the magic is not working on the curse," 

Loki tried to listen to what was being said around him, he really did. But his heart had not stopped beating painfully in his chest, and his right arm was now burning as if someone was continually holding it in flames. He would do anything to help his soulmate; there was nothing he would not sacrifice. Harald was his light, his rock when his own emotions stormed as an open sea and he was tossed around in the chaos that was created. Harald was his center, a center that suddenly was torn away from him because someone failed to protect him. He should have been safe here! Loki wanted to scream and smash every little object that was within his reach. 

He could no longer feel him, no pleasant tingling or pulsating heat in his chest that came with every heartbeat, no sense of his feelings or state of mind. Nothing. The bond was empty as if the darkness had absorbed all the light and life in its surroundings, leaving a gaping hole, as if it was sucking him up. 

Loki took a deep breath and steeled himself to meet what awaited. He was prepared to do whatever it took to save Harald. If he still needs to give his own life to succeed, so be it. He would do anything and everything for his little light. But as soon as he walked through the door and his gaze landed on the said person, he froze. The air in his lungs disappeared and an unnatural cold and numbness spread through him.

The royal red sheets stood in stark contrast to the little creature that occupied its nest. Harald may be on the smaller size body-wise, but he looked like just a child in the giant bed. Helpless and broken. It also did not help that his skin was almost transparent, and his face was constricted in pains that tore his already fragile body. 

Loki could feel how the mark burned again at the same time as Haralds jerked under the covers. That was good; it meant that there was still something holding them together, that there was still hope. Slowly he went further into the room, and his gaze was- as if anything- nailed to the little creature in front of him; he barely dared to blink because he was afraid he would disappear from his view.

Loki could see the narrow veins under his pale skin; it was almost as if he could see straight through them to the muscles on the underside. The previously lively midnight black hair was now gathered in a thick braid over his shoulder, still and lifeless. Whether it was due to sweat or something else, he did not know. But one thing he knew, Harald's hair never stayed in place. Loki forced himself to breathe; he was here now; there is still time.

"What happened?" Loki barely recognized his voice, his hand was just above Harald's but he did not dare touch him. It felt like just a light touch would break his skin, and it was wrong, so, so wrong.

King Freyr sighed, and it looked like decades had passed on his face in a mear hour that had passed. "We suspect that someone sealed his magic with a powerful spell, a sealing curse of the sort." 

" What ?" Loki hissed in shock and felt how his heart now decided to sink right into the pit of his stomach, anything but that! "but break the seal then!" were they not masters of seals? It was something that Harald often bragged about as he was more than happy to challenge Loki with that knowledge in different situations, of course. 

“We have tried. The one who created the seal is powerful. It pains me to say even better than my knowledge on the subject. Harald could have broken it, but without his magic ... " it was impossible, the words remained unsaid and he shook his head. " that's why we hope you can have greater happiness than us with your magic, Prince Loki." 

"Do we know who is to blame?" asked Thor, who had remained surprisingly calm and in the background, something that was very unusual for the otherwise big clown who loved to be at the center. 

The king was silent for a good while, only looking down at his son, his eyes filled with guilt and sorrow. "We recognize the magic," the king softly said, bowing his head slightly in shame, "it is my sister. We have already sent out our best warriors to search for her "

"Then point me into their direction, and I will personally lead them in their search for this witch," Thor said with a voice filled with anger and begging for revenge, for this was his brother-to-be, and no one messed with his family, blood or not. 

Loki stared down at his lover's still body and bit hard on the inside of his cheek. He put his hand on Harad's chest, which rose slowly. He tried to ignore the cold feeling that spread along his arm and closed his eyes to concentrate. Slowly he let his magic flow down towards Haralds; the awful empty feeling invaded him as soon as he touched it. Suddenly it felt as if his magic was quickly beginning to sucked out of him. It was as if he suddenly became stuck in a vortex and a pulling sensation at his navel made him jerk with a strong gasp and quickly broke the abnormal connection.

He could feel his eyes burning hot, and the air became heavier when they realized that his attempt to break the seal had failed. Loki wanted to growl in pure anger; he would not give up, but what could he do? The magic was literary being sucked out off its vessel.

“ Loki , love? How long do we have? ” Freya rested her hand on Harald's forehead; she felt the sorrow and panic tearing at her like a hungry wolf at her son's chosen one.

“Hardly any time at all! _fuck!_ " Loki swore fiercely and ripped from his mother's touch and backed away. He shook his hand vigorously through his black lock of hair. Whatever sealed Harald's magic, it sucked life out of him, already now he could feel how his body struggled to even function as far as it could. His body had already begun to shut down.

“Lo .. ki?” The hoarse rough voice made everyone fall silent in the room, and their eyes fell on the owner.

Loki was quickly back by his side and he now let his hand gently touch the cold sweaty cheek of his little candle. The feeling was so wrong, so sick and Loki had to hold down his reflex to pull his hand away. There was not an ounce of magic moving over his skin, he felt nothing coming from him and it was about to kill Harald. 

He was magic; without it, he could not exist; the same could be said for Loki; he was also a magical creature. Therefore, it all felt like a punishment against him and his failure; he should have made sure that Harald was safe from the start. He should never have left him because this would _never_ have happened if he had been there. But it had happened, and Loki felt powerless, and he absolutely hated the feeling. He could not even save the one who was his whole world, which meant more to him than anything else. If he could not protect him, what good could he do? 

"You came."

"Of course I came, I can not even leave you for a week, and you get in trouble" Loki let his fingers caress the cold sweaty cheek because no matter how abnormal it felt, he needed to feel the contact. 

Harald laughed softly, but the laughter was quickly replaced by a heavy cough that made him grimace in a second of pain before his features were smoothed out. The dull eyes looked at him again, and he tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace than anything else.

“True ... you should never leave me again… ever. when we married, I will tie you to me.”

Loki's saliva got stuck in his throat, and he tried to swallow the lump that forms there "never again, you will never get rid of me, ever." 

Freya put her hand on her youngest son's shoulder but said nothing, and the rest of the people withdrew to give the young couple some privacy. Suddenly a new hard cough tore through the already weak body, and Loki hurried forward to help him sit up. All the people in the room were as if forgotten in distress over his little one . 

Harald barely had any strength left even to sit still, but Loki was quickly there by his side and supported him. But the coughing soon stopped and Loki could see the red drops of blood that adorned Harald's hand, like small rosebuds on a young bush. 

Harald tried to tell him that everything would be fine, that he could do without magic. But no words came out of him. If there was one thing he did not do, it was to lie, especially not to Loki . He rested his head against the warm arm that stood right next to him while he took several agitated breaths and felt someone wipe away the red liquid. 

Harald knew a lot about what was happening; he could feel how his energy and magic were sucked out of him and how his inside burned from the loss. He could not remember exactly what had happened but, something had hit him in the back, and soon afterward, an intense pain had spread through his body. Harald felt an unnatural cold sweep against his sweaty skin and tremors spread through his body. 

"is it cold here?"

Loki carefully wrapped his little mate in his arms as he laid his hand on his forehead; he closed his own eyes when he felt the fever that was raging inside of him. "No love, you burning up,"

Harald took the chance to bury his face into his mate's neck and breathe in his unique scent, calming himself. " Please , lay down with me, hold me," he mumbled, and he did not have to ask twice before the warm, familiar body of his beloved lay beside him. He felt so exhausted, and the worst thing was that he could no longer feel Loki in his magic. He was gone entirely, but at the same time he was right next to him. It felt unnatural and so wrong. 

"Come one little one, you have to fight this with me"

"Who said I stopped?" Harald murmurs low into his chest. "And who are you calling little?"

Loki chuckled low, "No one" 

"there you go." 

"cheeky" 

Harald snickered but was soon attacked by another coughing fit that soon subdued. Loki slowly wiped the blood away from his cheek and held back his tears as he rested his head against his and vanished the last blood of his magic. Harald was breathing profusely and had closed his eyes and was trying to concentrate on getting oxygen down but had difficulty making a simple movement and closed his eyes in a new kind of panic that grabbed him.

“Hey, hey, it's okay, look at me, breath,” Loki said as he gripped softly around Harald's cheek, forcing his gaze up to his“ Breath, love.”He began to take deep breaths himself to stimulate the movement, in and out slowly, in and out. Loki could feel his hand convulsively hugging Harald's damp tunic as it rested over his heart.

Loki jerked when he felt a pair of cold fingers put on his hand. " Thanks " Harald whispered as his breathing stabilized. 

There was still a low gurgling undertone in his that worried Loki. "I can not lose you, Harald, you are the light that keeps my darkness at bay ……. I can not lose you. I can not… ... I love you too much"

"Time is running out " Harald squeezed his hand that was placed over his heart before letting his fingers look up at Lokis ' head and pulling them through the silky shoulder-length hair. He pressed his forehead hard against Loki's and closed his eyes.

" Do not ... do not say that," Loki's voice was now low, almost a whisper under his breath. 

“ I …. Harald took a deep breath. The oxygen burned on the way down as if a thousand needles scraped up his insides, and he grimaced, "I will not give up, but I can feel it, Loki, I can feel the hole in my core, sucking the magic away, and I can not do… anything…. about it ”

" But I can, " Loki murmured as Harald nodded

The burning sensation increased tenfold when he let his magic seep into Haralds. He could see the problem now; he saw chains embracing a black hole. It almost seemed as if light, in this case all magic, was sucked into it and just disappeared, and the feeling that spread around Loki could only be described as horrible. Loki gasped as the spell forced him out, and he felt the fatigue grip him. It almost felt like he had run several laps around Asgard non-stop with Thor chasing behind him. 

Harald lay still, his hand still wrapped in his hair and holding such a firm grip on his head that he could handle at the moment. From Loki's expression, he could see that he had again failed to break the curse yet again, and he tried not to feel discured. He didn't want to die; he wasn't ready.

"I remember the first time I ever felt your energy," Harald said softly, letting his fingers slowly make circles in Loki's scalp, "it was so strong and powerful, even though you were poisoned and lay there, waiting for your death. I remember how the feeling felt - _wrong_ \- , as if you were not meant to be embraced by death yet. And I was right, it was not your time to go and that feeling was constant there all the time I took care of you." 

Loki put his arms around the fragile body and held him closer. "And it's not your time to go either, stop talking like it is" Loki replied and turned his head slightly and kissed his wrist. 

Harald smiled weakly and leaned his forehead against his "I'm not; I get the same feeling now, Loki,"

It made the other black-haired man quickly open his eyes and stare into the dark greens in sheer surprise, " what ?" 

"You heard me perfectly the first time, oldy." Harald said with a low laugh, “I get the same feeling like that day, that it is not my time to face death. I trust you, I know that if anyone can fix this, it's you ” 

Loki felt burning tears threatening to fall and he narrowed his eyes. He could feel how a proud feeling grew within him, his strong phenomenal mate. He didn't back down, not even when it looked terrible, and here Loki lay grieving because he was not strong enough or could handle it. Since when had he ever doubted his own ability! He was Prince Loki of Asgard, the god of chaos, lies, and magic. 

"Don't let me go," Harald whispered as he pressed his forehead harder against his, but his eyes stirred firmly into his, "fight it" 

"I do! " Loki growled harshly" do you think you want to suffer like this? Do you think this is how I want to see you? I try, but I do not know what to do, this is magic I have not even encountered except what you have shown me and it has also taken time for me to breakthrough! And we do not have time ... ” Loki jerked out of the loose grip that Harald had on him and sat up in bed. 

He was angry, and he was just as terrified. He could feel the pressure weighing down his senses, and he could not concentrate enough to force the energy, and time was running out. Always the time. He felt crushed underneath it all, and his chest ached like the bleeding hole that was around Harald's core. The only warning he received that something suddenly was wrong was a firm grip on his hand and Loki's gaze immediately turned to his little lover. But what he saw caused his whole world to fall apart. Harald's eyes were wildly wide open and his mouth wide open, but he could not breathe. 

Harald had not been prepared for this attack to come so close to the other. He had tried to take a deep breath to say that Loki was wrong. But it was as if his lungs and nearby muscles ended up functioning completely. It quickly turned into a full-blown coughing fit as he tried to force the air out of him while he could not get anything down. Harald tried to catch his breath between the fits but he could not get enough oxygen down, and his vision was going dark, his head was spinning and he could feel cold hands on him and his mates voice trying to calm him down. But he could not, his voice sounded like he was miles away and he was inside at a bowl at the same time. He was rolled onto his side as blood started to sip out of his mouth, only for it to cover his chin and chest with each new cough. 

But he could not breathe.

Panic gripped on Loki as he scooped up his mate in his arms and pulled himself behind him so that his back was to his chest. His arms were tightly wrapped around the shaking body that was desperately trying to get air, but with each breath his throat was filled with blood that now was bubbling from his mouth. Somewhere to the side Loki could see others trying to help, holding out a towel to soak up the blood, having potions and water ready to soothe his little mate. But Loki turned it all out.

He put his hand against Harald's throat. Loki could feel the Adam's apple desperately sinking up and down and the wildly pounding pulse beat against his fingers when the coughing tore at Harald, but nothin got down thanks to the blood. He forced his magic to focus on banishing only the blood that closed his airways and instantly Harald could breathe again . He drew in several painfully deep breaths as he was still struggling with the blood coming back up fast. It was like a significant vessel in his lungs had broken. 

Loki's grip around his neck was stiff and determined. Every time the feeling of drowning washed over Harald, it disappeared just as quickly. He could breathe again, every tearing breath that tore from his fragile body felt like fire. Loki had him properly propped up and against his chest as Harald tilted his head slightly to the side so that his forehead now rested against his neck. Loki could feel the small breaths that his little mate managed to take, both through the light puffs of air against his sweaty throat but also where he still held his hand to his throat. They were strained and painfully light, but there, and he was still alive. 

Loki had not realized how much he was shaking until he felt a faint touch on his hand that still hugged Harald's neck lightly. He tried to open his eyes but no matter how he did and blinked, his field of vision was cloudy and unfocused. The cold hand caressed his cheek, and he suddenly realized that his tears were in the way of his sight. The cold hand hugged his in a painfully weak grip, but Harald still managed to intertwine their fingers as he needed to hold it there.

No more blood filled his airways as of now, but he could feel it, the dreadful breathing made him slowly return to the present, but his head spun violently. Loki's arms completely closed around Harald's shaking body and he refused to let anyone else touch his soulmate at this moment. He tried to say anything, but no words got out from him, and he made a choking sound.

_No, no, no .no_ , Loki tried to get his shaking under control but the sentence was like a mantra in his head. This was getting to real and painfully fast. He could not lose him, he could not lose his little light. But he could not focus, he could not lead his magic without it shattering. He could not, he did not know how, he would be the reason why Harald, his world, his lover, would die just because he did not have enough power to break the spell. 

Harald desperately tried to get air into his lungs but he could not even start the cough reflex anymore. It felt like he was trying to breathe underwater. His eyes widened in panic, and the gurgling suffocating sound made Loki quickly put his hand around his neck again and try to get rid of the blood. But it did not work as before. As soon as he removed some fluid, it was refilled, and the more blood he removed the less was left to allow the rest of the body to function.

“No!" Loki cried brokenly “No, do not you dare, I will not let you., you hear? You said that that it was not your time” Loki's hands were now both above Harald's heart, where the magic core was located. He tried to ignore the weakening beating of his heart. It was barely there as he let his magic flow inwards.

The black empty ball that had chains over it in glittering purple ribbons mocked him, but this time, Loki attacked the seal with everything he could. He forced himself to shut out the gurgling sound from Harald, he closed without all the voices around them just to concentrate. Loki now threw all his remaining magic and energy against the seal; he did not care what would happen to him after. His magic was thrown powerfully against the chains, over and over and over again, until he could perceive a small crack created in the chains that only grew the more he pressed. 

Suddenly, his magic penetrated right through the seal, creating an explosion that was violently thrown outward in a powerful pressure wave. Furniture was pushed away harshly, and windows exploded outwards by the immense force thrown in from both of them. Loki desperately held on to Harald's magical core and drove in his energy, forcing the core to absorb it. 

Suddenly, Harald's magic steadily around them satisfied, warm, and welcoming. Their breath was entirely in sync, their magic interconnected and the same energy vibrated through their bodies. Tie them together on a deeper level than anything before, and they were literary one and the same from this moment. 

Loki opened his eyes and blinked to focus; he could see Harald's black hair moving in the pulsating energy that was still flowing from both of them. He could feel the light but steady breaths against his arms and he thanked the nine that his beloved was still alive. 

But something was not quite right. Loki blinked again to try to focus or remove the green fields in his vision. But it did not disappear; reluctantly, he loosened his grip a little, but only so that he could see properly what had suddenly invaded his field of vision. Harald was limp in his arms but that was not what drew a gasp from his mother or a silent prayer from the fae king in wonder. 

No, it was all because of what was between Lokis' chest and Haralds back. He stared down at the massive feathered wings that were wideout in each direction from Harald's back. He let his now magic envelop the more wild raw that tore itself out of Harald's body as the wings moved in a soft beating.

This was why they were soul mates from the beginning, their magic needs each other to find balance. They needed each other to work. Now more than ever, when he could feel how Harald's magic increased avalanche. Tears of joy now fell down his cheeks as he controlled his little mate's magic so that he would not lose control completely. He had done it. The magic licked against his own like warm caressing flames that could at any time try to tear themselves apart and grow big. But he held it, held him. Loki whispered loving words as he kissed Harald's black locks of hair, ignoring that they were damp with sweat. 

"I knew you could do it" Harald told him with a harsh but smug voice

Loki could not help laughing; luckily, one of them believed that. He could swear that this whole frightening situation had given him gray hair. Loki could not answer him but felt how his own fatigue hit him when the tension was released. Neither of them protested as they sank into a deep healing sleep, both wholly exhausted both physically and magically, but both alive. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's now it's happening, folks! This is the middle, the turning point, and now we are starting to move towards the avengers ' movie and the present. And they will meet soon, promise, but first a little smut, perhaps in the next chapter?. I'll see how it all develops :D


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So after last week's angst chapter comes some fluff! It took longer than I thought after I finished it all, but I hope you enjoy the downtime because soon, the Avenger ride will begin.

What to do? What to do? Harry was literary freaking _out_. How in the bloody nine realms should he be able to handle this level of weirdness? This was even beyond his usual bad luck. Why could he not just stick with the pure physical changes and be done with it all? He walked back and forth in the hall and the only thing that broke the morning silence was his steps and the rhythmic sound of the large clock. Harry tossed his hair behind his head and moaned as he gripped it tightly. He grabbed it and felt a sting combined with a sharp pain in his scalp, but it felt good in his frustration.

Not only did he wake up surrounded by anxious centaurs and the foals hover all around him, oh no. Fate had also decided to make his life even harder than before. After the last memory had surfed, which, moreover, still was burning on the inside of his eyes, fate had left him with a new gift. First, he had thought for a second that he would experience the horrible moment where Harald would die; he could still felt Lokis pain and anguish clearly as if it was his own because, indeed, he had to die to become who he is today, right? He was Lord Harry Potter- Black, notHarald Fayereson, the fae prince and fiancé of the freaking god of mischief. 

Yes, Harry had started to see that he once was, and if the changes had something to do with it, he had started actually to become Harald more than more. It was almost like his two lives begin to merge to form a balanced mix between his two lives. He was still Harry, but at the same time, he was Harald. Harry moaned and stopped and looked up at the beautifully decorated ceiling. Not only had his brain begun to have some identity crisis, no, but the damn memory had also brought about another change to his physical appearance. And this time, it was the most significant change so far! 

Why could his life not be normal? Nooo, he had to get bloody freaking _green_ wings that had decided to grow out of his back. And he was freaking out. Did he mention that they were huge?

Harry could _feel_ them flexing on his back with each strong emotion that shot through his body. And to boot, he was getting more and more annoyed by the minutes as his mind started to tell him to as he quote -get a fucking grip- on himself. It felt like his very own mind had expanded with the new development, and he could process things scary fast. Then, there was that damn tingling sensation in the back of his mind screaming that something was missing, something that should be there. He felt empty, hollow even.

And that was creeping him out. Harry closed his eyes and took deep breaths. The feeling surrounding him was chilly, as if winter had decided that it still wanted to stay even though it was already April. But the hall he was standing in was perfectly temperate; it was quite the opposite; Harry felt warm. Which only diluted the fuck up feeling. How the hell could he feel icy cold while being perfectly fine with it? Was it so that he had begun to create a second identity? Could it be possible that 'Harald' was his very own person and stuck in his mind and he had misunderstood everything?

Though it did not feel right either, Harry rubbed his chest, just over his heart. It was not in his head that the feeling came from; it was from his core. It was as if he was missing a piece of himself as if it had expanded, but the magic that would be there was dormant. Harry exhaled heavily, his shoulders sank, and so did the wings that gently pulled against his back, but they were still there. The memory had given him much to think about. On one hand, he began to realize that it was more to this situation than he understood. He could no longer deny the warming ever-growing feeling he felt for Loki, even though he physically, in this body in any case, never met him.

He had felt this feeling once before when he started dating Ginny. But that feeling had changed as they had grown up and understood that the feelings they had for each other were solely of that between siblings. But the feeling was familiar, and he knew very well that he already loved the resourceful black-haired god. He needed an answer; no, he needed a few of them.

Harry pulled his hand through his hair again before he started going up the stairs and walked with solemn steps towards Ron and Hermione's side of the manor. He stopped outside their bedroom door and hesitated, it was still early, but at the same time, they are usually awake at this time. He raised his hand but stopped just before he could tap the massive door, separate them from the world before he knocked. He needed to talk to them about this development. A faint rumble came from behind the door, and Harry wiped his sweaty palms on his pants.

"emh, guys," he started, a little unsure how to name his current problem, "I… .might have a bit of a morning problem that I need your help with"

"Noo… go away" Ron's groan could be heard through the massive door, and Harry could not help a chuckle to escape him. Ron had never been a morning person.

"I would love to, but this is kind of a big problem" he should perhaps feel more ashamed of disturbing their morning because it sounded like they had had a long and undoubtedly fun night.

"Oh god, Harry," he could hear Ron groan, "we are not helping you with your little morning 'problem' go away!"

He could hear Hermione's tired muffled vice, and he stared strangely at the door before casting a nervous glance at the green wings. They should be happy that he did not rush in right away when he had come back to the mansion two hours earlier. But he needed to get rid of these wings quickly; he had a god to find, and a pair of massive wings would only attract more attention than his scars used to do.

"I'm serious. I need your help with this one. I would not disturb you if I did not feel it was important."

"I'm so not awake for this," Ron grumbled behind the door, and Harry could hear the squeak of the bed as he got up from the bed and the heavy steps leading up to the door. Harry's wings fluctuated and stretched a little as the nervousness simmered through him, but he quickly pushed it away again. These were two of his best friends, his family; they had stood by his side in recent weeks when all the strange changes had happened to him. They would stand by his side through this as well. 

"Harry, mate, we love you but not in that way. Can you not take care of your morning problem in the shower or something?" The sound of clothes could be heard, and Harry started at the door as it suddenly had decided to jump him.

Why should he take a shower? It could not solve his current problem ... could it? He stared at the wings and tilted his head a little, wondering if the wings were as liquid-repellent as birds were? Could he fly with them, maybe? A small voice in his head suddenly agreed that he could and that he could fly fast. Cool. he now had a voice in his head, Harald's voice, to be precise, it was now official. He was going bonkers.

"Seriously, Harry," Ron said as he opened the door and got tired in the face before looking at him. Just to blink again, and then again. Ron rubbed his eyes to try to get his sight in order, but the wings did not disappear.

Harry looked at him and waited; they just stared at each other before Ron cleared his throat a little nervously, " Herms, I think you need to see this, this is a problem that no cold shower would fix, I guess."

"No! I do not want to see his so-called problem, Ronald," she groaned. "Not when he disturbed my morning plans." 

Ron chuckled nervously and blushed a little while Harry raised his eyebrows amusingly. "I can promise you that you want to see this, love," Ron said to his girlfriend before taking a step around Harry.

"You just have to perform one miracle after another," the red-haired man shook his head, amused, "are they real? Can you move them?"

Harry nodded and let his wings flex, and Ron whistled impressively "the problem is I can't get rid of them," Harry said and angled them slightly forward so they could spread more in the corridor.

"bloody hell Harry, you do not do things the normal way, do not you?"

"apparently not."

"Can I touch them?"

Harry nodded, "yeah, but be careful" A shiver went through him when he could feel Ron's fingers pulling against his wings, and he frowned slightly at the strange feeling that spread within him.

"Oh, blimey… they are solid."

Harry twitched under his touch again and unwrapped them when he heard clattering steps from the household's female person. Her hair stood in all directions and edges, and the magic lay tightly around the slightly upset woman and made her hair stand out even more. However, her anger suddenly disappeared when she looked at Harry's so-called morning problems. He stared at them for a second before sighting.

"I'm just going to change my clothes, we'll meet in the library in a moment," she just said and turned in the door and went back inside. 

Harry and Ron looked at each other before shrugging, and the red-haired man followed his girlfriend and left Harry in the hallway. It felt good to no longer have to deal with this problem alone, and with those thoughts, Harry went back to his room. He needed to change his clothes. It wasn't long before Harry stood in front of his mirror and took in his whole new look.

The patio door stood ajar, and the birds' low chirping outside crept in like creating pleasant background noise. But Harry could not enjoy the serenity as before; he stared at himself, or more specifically, his wings. The sun was shining in from the large windows making the wings almost change color. The before dark green tones got a more vibrant color, and when he turned around a bit, they almost looked like they were made of metal. Harry ran his fingers through the wingtips and mentally noticed that his touch felt utterly different than Ron's had felt. Ron's touch had felt wrong, accepting but inappropriate in some ways.

But if it was not one, it was the other, and Harry now faced the next problem. He had no idea how to get rid of his clothes. He first tried to pull them over his head, but the wings came off, and let me tell you, bent feathers did not feel good at all. He ended up banishing them to the cleaning basket and now stood in only his trunks. Harry let his gaze sweep over his body once more. His skin was still light, but it had a golden undertone; his right arm was adorned with the soul mark that now went over his shoulder, and when he twisted, he could see how it stretched down his back and ended just above his butt.

The wings grew out of his shoulder blades, and when he flexed them, he could see the extra muscles that moved under the skin. Silvery scars were still clearly visible in the sun's rays, a testimony to his tough childhood. He could see them a little here and there on his body, and he stroked a hand over his chest and down over his slightly toned stomach. He was not a muscle mountain exactly, but he was lean and had long muscles that played under the skin and not an ounce of fat on the body.

He had always had a hard time putting on weight, and no matter how much Madame Pomfrey tried to remedy this. It was a curse; in fact, he had wanted to be a few pounds heavier. He had never understood the female sex when they complained that they needed to lose a few pounds and how difficult it was to lose it, so they skipped food. Honestly, it was just as hard for him to put some pounds on his body as it was for them to lose some!. No matter how much he ate, his body refused to get the amount he needed before it threatened to come up, and his brain shouted at him several times not to eat, to freaks that he did not need food, he could survive on air if so required.

Harry shook his head violently and bit together. The memories of his harsh childhood stung inside his eyes. He hated it. He was damaged goods; no matter how much he tried to escape from his childhood, it was always there. You could not just beat out 11 years of abuse, both physical and mental, in a few years. Thank goodness he had a family that cared about him and understood his problems.

He also had Loki; he just needed to find him. Harry had never really been a person for fashion; if he could wear the clothes, well, then they were good enough for him. Any clothes were better than Dudley's hand me down.

He gently let his fingers stroke the tips of his wings again. It almost felt like he was patting a velvet pillow or something. He looked down at the shirt he had chosen, it was impossible to put on the usual way, but he also did not like having to conjure one on himself. When he did, the material always felt wrong against his skin. As if someone decided to put a rock in them or something.

Harry grimaced and threw away his shirt to try to find something else. The bed pile grew as he threw more and more clothing in the ever-growing pile before he got to the tops. Why could he not have thought of this before? He pulled out a white training bra where the back joined together in a Y, which left the shoulder blades almost entirely free.

Now came the next problem, to put it on. Harry would forever keep quiet about the strangest and most demanding attire he had ever had to go through, and he also promised never to complain about having too much clothing. He simply did not have enough variety to choose from, so with the first day's goal completed, he went down past the kitchen to pick up some food and entered the library.

He put down the tray with fruit, and even the tea he had levitated behind him; he was the first to be there. He picked up the parchment and started writing down what he needed to find. The first was a book about creature heritages, and the second was about Nordic gods and mythology

He bit into the apple while writing down what he knew about Loki and his current situation realized that it was still apart. Florence had confirmed that the memories were from previous lives, so it meant that there was a reason why they were awakened now in connection with his creature's blood appeared. Harry tried to look more objectively at his memories, but it felt like he still did not have all the puzzle pieces. They were there, just out of reach, but he suspected that his brain needed to have a rest period between the different visions and be able to adjust itself to the changes. So that meant he could expect more memories. But at the same time, a feeling within him had begun to grow, his magic was trying to take shape after the cavity, and it was almost as if he could feel it.

Harry closed his eyes and 'poked' at the feeling; he pressed a little harder and suddenly felt how it pushed back hard; a wave of irritation hit him, irritation that was not his own, and the memory flashed before him.

* * *

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * * Memory * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

* * *

Harald took a deep breath of the fresh air that filled the room, the scent of the flowers drifted in through the wide opened window, and he could smell the spring rain come over them but had yet to fall. He was back in Asgard after several weeks of recovery from his near-death experience. His magic core was still tender; if a magical core could be tender, that is. But it anyway, his magic had expanded so drastically, and with it also came the growing pains that the change it brought.

He had now wholly entered his creature heritage. Harald had thought that it would be more difficult to control his magic than it has been. He probably had Loki to thank for that bit. The dark-haired prince had barely left his side the whole time he was recovering; he was constantly there, touches, soft words, and always ready to stand up to his needs. Honestly, it eventually became too much, and Harald kicked Loki out and ordered him to return to his royal duties. It was not exactly like he would leave the palace, and he was safe there.

After everything that had happened, everyone involved had agreed that Harald would move to Asgard. It was also here that it had been decided that they would live after their wedding, which was fast approaching. They had not been able to find his aunt, who had almost killed him. He still could not understand what he had done to earn that treatment. Why had she betrayed him? Her family none the less.

But just because he had kicked Loki out to get some free time did not mean that he could be left alone; oh no, it did not work out. He felt his temple twitching with irritation as he leaned against the doorway carelessly.

"Why are you here?"

"Because I have nothing to do," Thor's voice was light and could easily be misinterpreted as innocent, but Harald could see through it, and his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"..... really?" Harald looked at him with a deadpanned expression. He did not believe the blond prince for a second. He knew what he was doing, and Harald promised that he would punish Loki thoroughly after this. The blonde brother was simply on babysitting duty, and he was going to be this annoying the whole time. Harald only knows this. 

"I can help you with that," Harald said slowly and closed the book he had been reading until now, "you can start with this; put the book where it belongs."

Thor gave the book a strange look, "And why should I do that?"

"Because you have nothing to do," Harald replied with a gentle smile and pushed the big, heavy book forward with magic to the other side of the table, and Thor slowly walked towards it. He then took the book up, walked over to the next table, put it down with a loud thump, and turned contentedly towards Harald again. Mission accomplished. 

The black-haired male stared at him, his mouth half-open, and closed it only to then open it again in pure disbelief. "Did… Did you just move the book from one table to the next one?"

"yes ..? you asked me to."

"So only to make it clear, you took the book from this table right in front of me and put it away on the other one, next to you… and not where it belongs?"

Thor looked down at the book and then up at him again and nodded, not seeing why the petit male almost seems to break down in laughter. He had done what he had been asked to do; he had put the book where it belonged. Right? There were books all around the tables, so why not?

Harald could no longer hold it in, and he broke down in giggles, which then broke out into a loud amused laugh. He needed to take support on the table for not to fall to the ground in a helpless heap as his shoulders shook in laughter. Thor gave him a confused look that narrowed when he realized that he was just laughed at and grinned. Two could play this game. So he picked up the miller and went forward to put it down on the table with a broad smile while the young man continued to laugh at him.

Harald collected himself and shook his head; this whole thing was amusing; he was so telling Loki when he was back. But as he reached out for his next magic totem to read, he stopped and stared at the large, but strangely, beautiful hammer that now sat heavily upon the book.

"Thor… Why is mjölner on my book?"

"I demand compensation for your laughing at my expense so that the book will do fine for a payment."

"No, just no, you can not go and put mjölner wherever you want," especially not on top of that book. Hadrian stretched out and tried to move the damn thing, but it was heavily seated on the spot. 

"move it," he ordered, annoyed

"No"

“Now Thor”

“Not going to happen.”

"Please?"

"Nope"

"I will destroy it."

"You are welcome to try."

"argh, THOR !! move it"

The massive lump of straw hair chuckled, "move what now, dear brother of mine?"

Energy started to collect around Harald's hands, and his lip parted in a cold smile; magic had created the damn hammer, witchcraft could destroy it just as "I ask you just one more time, move the hammer before I corrode it!"

"if you do that, you will destroy the books."

_Huh_ , fair point. Harald started at him before grinning again. He knew exactly what to threaten him with then to get what he wanted.

"I know a spell that will make it impossible for you to enjoy the pleasure brought out by the more intimate parts of a relationship; let's say you can get a little problem with the performance.” 

" You _dare_ …."

"try me," he threatened with a shit-eating grin, making Thor rethink his revenge. Nothing was worth that punishment.

Thor held out his hand, and the hammer quickly fell into his waiting fist and muttered softly about the devil's invention of pit spawn to brother. How could someone so fair and innocent hide such a demonic side? But this was Loki's fiancé, so it was no wonder he had such side.

"thank you very much" Harald now smiled contentedly and brushed off the book, _Energy fields, and foundations of magic_ ; thankfully, the hammer had not destroyed it. He opened the book and began to skim through the chapters until he found the part that interested him and began to read.

After Loki had broken the seal that was killing him, his magic had fused with Loki's. He could feel him in his magical core, and if he put a little on the feeling, he could feel how Loki's magic pushed back. But sometimes he had even heard words whisper over magic. Dem had bonded on a deeper level than any other thing he had ever talked about. One thing to be a soul mate, that was as rare as it could be, but to have this kind of soul bond? A telepathic link, perhaps?

Thor still stood firmly in the doorway, looking over the much smaller male, "I have to know," he hesitated as Harald put a finger in the text to look up at him. His intense viridian green eyes focused entirely on the blonde god who was trying to formulate his words.

"Were you the one who saved Loki that night so many years ago?"

He did not even have to say what night he meant because Harald knew right away what he meant. Harald turned his gaze to the window and the budding forest that could be seen from the royal palace. There was no reason for him to deny it. "Yes," he then said and looked at Thor again, "I ... felt Loki even then, felt how close to death he was but that it was not his time," an icy shiver stroked through him. He had come so close to losing him then, and he was happy that death let him save him.

"Thank you, Harald, thank you for saving him, for loving Loki for who he is.”

Harald could not help the laughter spreading, and he shook his head in amusement. "There is absolutely nothing to thank for, Thor; I would give my own life to save Loki if needed."

He shook his head. "You saved his life, and I am forever in debt to you and never say so again; without you, Loki would be lost." 

"Didn't Loki tell me it was me?" Harald ignored the last bit. He knew that if he lost Loki, the horrible though it was, he would lose a piece of himself and guaranteed to become blinded in madness.

"No, he did not say a word about it to the healers, but after that incident, he was almost obsessed with finding you again, finding the black-haired dream that saved him," Thor chuckled.

Harald felt a blush spread across his cheeks, and Thor gave off his classic booming laugh and patted him hard on the back.

"He was horrible to live with for a while, and we had no idea why; now, of course, we know better," he grinned. "It is an honor to welcome you publicly to the family," finally

Harald smiled at him and wished that the treacherous blush would disappear. He blushed worse than a virgin at this moment. Something that both brothers found very amusing, one more than the other.

"Now, all that is needed is for you to name your firstborn son after me, and we are one big and happy family."

Harald suddenly choked on his saliva and started coughing and spitting simultaneously as the blonde god started to laugh. He felt the blush burn caustically hot against his cheeks and neck, and he was now anxious that it would be permanent. The blind fool he was grinning at, Thor, patted him on the back one last time before strolling out the doors and leaving Harald in his embarrassment.

He seriously thought he could die here and now. Harald moaned and let his head fall hard against the cold stone wall. He shook his head to drive away those thoughts and felt the blush continue to burn. Harald stared out the window and breathed calmly in and out, feeling a wave of calm spread over him, a calm influenced by Loki. He could not help smiling a little; he had not thought about children before. Of course, he knew it would happen someday, but children? They were still young, and it was guaranteed not to occur for several years.

Magic. It was something to marvel at; in many parts of their kingdom, it was considered that magic was something for the female sex. That ment that it was considered a weakness, something that had begun to change with both Loki's practice and his own. Loki had even been given the title, god of magic, for his exceptional magical ability. And even Harald was considered to have an unnatural amount of magic. So that they both were intersexual did not come as a surprise. Magic does not specialize in the sexes; it creates wonders.

Harald shook his head, amused and picked up the thick book, and went to his favorite place by the window. The wide window frame was a great place to read a good book, but his thoughts were still scattered, and he kept his eyes fixed on the training ground where Thor had picked up his weapon and fought an unsuspecting trainee. 

Kids, huh, the thought did not feel so strange after all. Harald could very well see a black-haired mini Loki running around and creating chaos and mischief. He rested a hand on his stomach as he placed the book on his lap and continued to read and gradually began to test the theories they contained. He was finally able to sense Loki's feelings more clearly than before and smiled proudly at the development. 

Harald's gaze suddenly drew down to the floor when a soft sound came from there, and he blinked in surprise; he had not felt that someone had sneaked upon him. Below at his feet sat a cat that usually visited the palace, or he thought it was a cat anyway. It looked like one. Or maybe it was a fox? It had a long enough nose, but he still decided to classify it as a cat. The semi-long cream white cat looked up at him with his sapphire blue eyes that could only be challenged by Thor's sapphires, and he smiled down at the creature.

"hey there, what are you doing here?"

The cat jumped up smoothly in front of his feet when he made himself known, and Harald could now see two pairs of tails loosely waving behind it. Two very fluffy tails. Harald gently stretched out his hand to the cat, for that was what he intended to call it, and let it gently smell on his fingers before stroking his head against his hand, which obviously permitted him to touch it.

"What a beautiful creature you are," Harald smiled, scratched the cat under the chin, and a low spinning sound vibrated through the slender body. But what fascinated him was the feeling of magic that vibrated around it just as well. The cat stroked towards him, and with determined steps, it went up in his lap and lay down to the right and looked up at him.

He chuckled low and felt that the cat more or less ordered him to continue and slowly began to stroke the cat over the back, and the soothing vibrations were pleasant. As the cat settled down, he suspected that it would stay there for a while, so Harald picked up his book again and continued reading while his fingers continued to be pulled through the silky fur.

It was in this position that Loki found him. Call him bias, but he had never seen anything so beautiful or heartwarming than his fiancé sitting at the window with a book and the demon cats in his lap.

However, he should not be surprised; these demon cats have some lore associated with death and usually never let anyone pet them. It was even said that the cats originally came from Helheim and were death's own eyes and ears in the other realms. So that one of death servants turned to Harald was just a confirmation of what they already knew, that he still was a candidate for death throne. The two swans that hung down from Harald's lap testified that this was also one of the older demons. She seemed to be feeling very well in his lap, and Loki was not a bit jealous, not at all, and if anyone said that, he would forever deny it.

He could feel a caress over his magical core from Harald, and an amused smile crept upon Harald's lips, but he never took his eyes off the book that caught his interest.

"will you stand there the whole day, or are you going to great me?"

Loki smiled and gave only a humming sound in response before slowly walking up to him. "just admiring the beautiful creation sitting in my window."

Harald now looked up and looked at him, "your window, huh? I did not see your name here" he looked mocking down on the window, "nope, no name"

Loki gave him an amused look. "I'm pretty sure my name is somewhere and considering you're on my property, it must mean I own you too. Who could have guessed that?"

Harald grinned, "possessive much?"

Loki bent down and caught his lips in a light kiss, but the feeling was so strong that he almost lost his breath. Loki took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, he placed his hand behind Harald's neck, and he held him firmly and felt how his lips were shaped after his. He had missed his other half, even if it had only been a few hours. He closed his eyes for a second and felt the sweet yet spicy taste he associated with Harald before slowly and almost reluctantly pulling away.

"Over you? Always" Loki caressed his cheek and could not help thanking the gods for still being by his side. He sat opposite him in the wide window frame and exhaled; he could finally relax. If it had not been for Harald's testing of their bond, he would have rushed to him every two minutes just to see that he was still there. That he was alive and that the nightmare was finally over.

"a lot happening today?"

"yes, not enough mother wanted to talk wedding almost all the time, and Thor was his usual idiotic self in a meeting and was surprisingly thrown out more or less" he smiled, but his eyes were twinkling with mischief

"Oh? And here I thought you sent him to act as my babysitter" Harald put a hand on his chest. "I feel so loved."

Loki gave him a teasing look, "the one who would need a babysitter is my brother. We should thank you for keeping an eye on him"

Harald smiled and pulled his hand through the demon's cat fur. "Wow, don't be so hard on him, he has a big heart but is not aware of his limits, or lack of them, and he gives his trust to everyone he considers worthy."

Loki snorted, "Yes, and he is our future King. I fear for our people."

Harald hummed, "then perhaps it is a good thing that he has you, right? To keep him on the right track."

"Perhaps" Loki looked out the window

Harald looked over to his mate and let his leg closest to the window extend so that his foot was next to Loki, "What are you thinking?"

Loki did not look at him or answered; he had so much in his mind that he did not know what to focus on, where to begin?. On the one hand, he was overjoyed at the life he had and the life that lay ahead of them. But then he was afraid, afraid of Harald's security or the kingdom's. They still had not captured his aunt and no real answers to why she tried to kill him. But there was something wrong. It was something they missed, but he had no idea what. Harald watched him for a long time before he carefully put the cat and the book on the floor and pulled forward. He put his legs on either side of Loki and managed to grab the dark-haired man's attention.

"what are you doing?"

"looking at you."

"Noo... really?" he looked amused at him, as if he did not already understand it, "than with all means, go on."

Harald snorted and rolled his eyes at his lover's antics, but he concentrated again and stared at him the whole time.

_talk to me_

Loki blinked and looked down at his little lover, he had heard his voice, but his lips had not moved. He opened his mouth in surprise, "how?"

Harald's smile grew, and he put on the other half of his magical core again, success! so now that he knew how it felt, he could concentrate and send over another thought.

_This way, talk to me and do not even try to lie or avoid answering my question._

It jerked in the mouth of Loki, "I do not know what you suggest."

"yeah, and I'm a pink bilgesnipe, now talk to me," Harald replied loudly and poked at him, "try to answer me in the same way, idiot."

Loki shook his head in amusement and sat down so that he sat directly opposite him and stared intensely at him. Viridian meeting jade. He concentrated on the interconnected feeling of magic and put his thoughts back.

_Just scattering thoughts,_ he captured the feeling that came with the new magic and let it wrap around its core. He let the feeling fill him up, and he poked at Harald's own while he did so.

_And a little worried_ , Harald added, looking at him defiantly while waiting for him to protest, but still smiled when they finally began to understand how a small part of their connection worked.

_And a little worried_ , Loki agreed a little reluctantly; he would never say it out loud. But to Harald..... to him, he could show a more insecure side of himself.

_Is there anything you can do about it?_

_That depends_

Harald snorted, "so a no then" He released the mental connection, so he felt how it pulsated too hard in the temple.

Loki sighed heavily but did not deny his words. Even though he knew this, he could not help his anxiety. It was always there, biting, gnawing feeling that tore at his insides. The feeling that came from seeing him dying in front of him, blood flowing out where it should not be. The emotion of his uneven pulse and the feeling of his heart struggling almost stopped beating. Harald suddenly jumped up from the window and turned around, waiting for him. He did not like the feeling of sneakingness over their connection.

"what are you doing?" Loki asked with a frown

"getting up."

"I can see that. Why are you getting up?"

"We are going to the training ground."

Loki blinked slowly, "No ... we not"

Harald studies him for a moment and then shrugged, "then I'm going without you."

Loki stiffened and was quickly up and in his way, almost growing as he stared down at the smaller male, "no, you have not nearly healed enough from the whole ordeal; you are not going to train, magic or anything else."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Look, you can either go with me or get out of my way Loki. I'm not going to bulge, and I'm not made of glass" He knew he was pushing a little hard, but he needed slap Loki out of that mood he was digging himself in. He could feel the darkness inside of him, feasting on his fears.

That can be debatable, Loki thought as his lips straightened out, "No."

Stubborn ass of a horse, Harald stared at him before he took a deep breath. “Then let us have some fun with Thor; I believe that both he and you require a good fight. He has asked to go up against the two of us. Claiming that he can beat us both at the same time.”He raised a defiant eyebrow. He could already see how it sparkled in Lokis eyes at the challenge

“Oh, has he now? then, by all means, I fight him, and you can be my support, but nothing else.”

Okay, not what he planned. But for the moment, he took what he could. In any case, he got what he wanted, and it should be fun.

* * *

And fun it had been. All the way until Thor had lost his temper and put a little bit too much power in one of his attacks, and Harald had instinctive reacted to it. Well, It had not ended _that_ badly.

"I'm…"

"No, do not."

"But .."

"-app."

"now see…

"- app, app."

"Harald-"

"I said don't," Harald said and grinned slightly "besides, it is I who should apologize ."

Thor shifted and looked over to a fuming Loki and nervously back to the smaller man "... that wasn't too bad?"

"I sent you flying two fields over and crash landing in the weapon racks; if that's not bad, I do not know what is. We were only going to play a little bit, not hurt each other"

"do not flatter yourself, I could have stopped that any time, and it was my fault, to begin with," Thor boosted as he puffed out his chest, never going to admit that, nope, never. 

Harald snickered, "but it kind of was? The shield was to return the hit with the double force as it was hit with. But you know, Thor, only because you are big and strong does not automatically make you fit to be a leader," Harald said to his brother-to-be. “It does make you perfect to protect, though, but you need to start thinking, assess your environment, and if you do not recognize the danger, then do not push it. Next time you could be dead, "and the last thing they needed was a dead crown prince. Harald was a crown prince for the throne of his realm, and Loki had no interest in taking that responsibility. He claimed it would take too much time from him.

Thor looked at him a little incomprehensibly and shrugged. He did not overthink war and battles, and strength was what he could rely on because you could not win a fight if you hesitated or stopped to think. The enemy needed to know that going against Asgard was tantamount to annihilation.

Harald looked over at Loki that sighted and put a hand to his face. There was no way that they would get through that thick head of his anytime soon, but they had time to do so. And Harald swore that he would help Loki to make Thor one of the best kings that Asgard had seen. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now it's approaching! But how would you like The Avengers arc to unfold? Right now, I only the first draft on it, and it is simple and easy. But I would like to know if you would enjoy reading a more AU take on it all or follow the movie. 
> 
> Oh, and heads up, the next chapter is the wedding and the wedding night; I will try and make my first smut. Haha, that should be fun.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to shout out a large thank you to all of you that are reviewing, I usually don’t put names out because, you know, if I don't name anyone then no one is forgotten. Right? But I’m trying to reply to your comments and I love them all! You guys are the greatest. I will do an AU take on the movie arc, some core moments will be there that affects Loki but nothing extensive. This is a Loki x Harry story and I will focus on them and not the others.   
> Oh and smut ahead! Don't like it? don’t read it ;)

Harry looked over at Hermione as she was in her researching mood; without her, they would have gotten as far as they had. But why did it feel like there was something that was starting to grow in between them? And not only her, but the feeling was even towering on Ron also. It felt strange, not sad or anything, only a sense of distancing, or maybe it was a new way to see the world? Harry had no idea, but ever since his creature heritage had awoken, he had changed, both in body and mind. He was equally much like Harry as he started to become Harald. Was it even his detachment he was feeling?

Harry stared down at the blank paper in front of him. He could not shake the feeling that they were utterly and entirely on the wrong path. As it looked now, they had barely gone through a tenth of all the books at their disposal. And it was after they divided it between three pieces! A painful bang shot through Harry, and he grimaced as the feeling spread through his torso. It was not so dangerous per say, more unpleasant, like someone stood outside a window and hit it with full force but not chattering the barrier.

The last memory was not precisely any help, although he felt the warm fuzzy feeling hugging him as he remembered the peaceful days. Honestly, he had loved them; that had been a core memory of his family. Harry closed his eyes. Was the answer really in his memories? Why was it precisely these memories that he re-experienced as strongest? Was it because of Harald's feelings? That it was somehow connected to important events for him, and if so, why could he not remember the rest? Some parts were there but not all, absolutely not. Harry tried to step out of his subjective role as a spectator of memories and examine them more objectively.

He was the death master, the other half of chaos, the one who created the balance between the two of them. He had magical creature blood in his veins, which leads to a massive increase in his magical ability. He can feel energies, sense people where they are and if they pretend to be a threat. Loki was the more violent of them both, but that did not mean that Harald was the weak one, rather the opposite; he could see reason and use his strength to the full. They had a strong connection with each other, a deep love, a need. It always came back to that; they need each other to balance: like Yin and yang, light and darkness, death and creation. 

Harry slowly opened his eyes as he stared down at the wooden table. He had somehow died and left Loki out of balance. But he had to welcome Death with open arms. Honestly, Harry could not see Harald do that, he would never give up on Loki, not with the love he was feeling but perhaps was that it?. Harry swore low and clenched his fist so hard that his knuckles turned white in protest of the action.

"the answer is not in the books" Harry put the book together hard; the sound echoed in the otherwise quiet room.

"It must be here somewhere, Harry, do not give up," Hermione called softly from her corner, she felt the same, but there must be something somewhere.

Harry shook his head "if it were true, we would have found it already. I have my soul mark, which means Loki is in our time. He is a demigod, so his lifespan is different than our" he started walking the floor, the wings fluctuating behind him in with each step he took. "we can assume that it has been several years, even centuries since the memories took place, so we have to figure out why now? what have changes, or what will happen? "

"What do you want us to do then?" Ron asked wearily; he was clearly in favor of another method than reading in old dusty books. "We have no leads or anything."

"something is going on," Harry stopped. "I feel it, do not ask me how, but this feeling," he grabbed the front of the shirt and hugged it hard, his heartbeat thundered in his ears. "I think I have to remember how Harald died to know what was going on."

"How are you going to do it? So far, the visions have come from time to time and not at any particular time or whatever you have been doing so fare" Hermione walked up to them, books still in her arms

She was right, he knew it. Harry nibbled on the thumbnail and looked out of the colorful window, the feeling still surrounded him like a thick blanket. Choking and hugging at the same time. Like a snake, it curled up along his chest, and he closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. But instead of putting away the feeling he had done before, he now let it embrace him, the cold dark feeling stroked him and he let it do so, even welcoming in.

The feeling of death flowed through him, and he moved his hand lightly through the invisible energy and reached for it. It was as if the answer was right at his fingertips, but he did not manage to get to it no matter how hard he tried. It was not his. Harry slowly opened his eyes, and the world around him had taken on a more golden tone; and he looked down at his own hands and saw his veins light up in a subdued golden tone. At each heartbeat, the glittering gold dust was pumping around in his vein. He looked up and let it land on his two companions and saw the same thing at them, but theirs was silver.

“Huh,” this was new, he stopped in his pacing and stared.

Ron looked up when Harry had just stopped, and his eyes widened in sheer surprise. "Bloody hell, mate, you are doing it again," his friend breathed out in amazement and slowly got up from the armchair.

Harry could feel the magic embrace him, and he let it do so; his wings suddenly melted into his back more and more with each deep breath he took, and he hugged his fists before relaxed. Felt how the muscles responded accordingly. His hair had waves of the same energy as his veins, and he could feel the manor exhaling, which was weird. Could a house breathe a sigh of relief? A piece of the puzzle fell into place, and he lifted his gaze.

"I know what I have to do,"

Harry went to the window, sat down with his legs crossed, and his hands resting on his knees. He did not wait for their answer. He had waited long enough already; he needed to find Loki. He exhaled and let his energy and magic flow out of him in soft waves, and he just let his mind open, and he touched his magical core and let the trance grab him as he entered the stage of meditation within seconds. 

* * *

*** ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * * Memory * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ ***

* * *

The sun started to set, and the moon began to rise. It was time. 

The symbol of the two celestial bodies represented the joining of the two lovers. The tables were covered with light grass green colors with the most exclusive glass vases with giant yellow peony and forget-me-nots in them. The air was rich with the fresh scent of the mild floral perfumes as it lays like a soft blanket over all of the guests as they all looked up at the altar where the All-Father stood behind the bonding couple.

"We are here today to join these two souls together a s one." Odin's massive voice echoed through the hall, and you could feel the energy and excitement fill the room. "Do you Prince Loki Odinsson and Prince Harald Freyrson join us here out of your own free will, to acknowledge the eternal bond shared between you?"

"Yes, we do," Loki and Harald echoed at the same time, their hands clasped in front of them. Their eyes just saw each other.

"Let's hear your vows."

Loki went first and smiled down at his smaller partner and hugged his hand a little harder than before. 

"Harald Freyrson, I had loved you from the beginning of time, before the stars were born, and I will love you until the last light is gone from the universe. Of all the people I have met in my life, you became my guiding star, my light in the darkness and the one I ran to. You have shown me a love so deep I never thought was possible. You make me so happy that I even forget to breathe. You make life worth living, and I know that I want. I want to stand by your side for the rest of my life.”

Harald swallowed hard and tried to hold back his feelings, but his eyes burned with tears that wanted to fall. He took a deep breath before exhaling with a smile on his face.

"I did not _fall_ in love with you, Loki Odinson. I walked into love with you, with my eyes wide open; I chose to take every step along the way. I believe in both fate and destiny, but I also believe that we are fated to do the things we choose to do. And I'd choose you; In a hundred lifetimes, In a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I find you, and I'd choose _you_. Theas hand of mine will be yours; I will be your best friend, your lover, and your guiding light. I will cherish you through the years yet to come. These are the hands that will wipe the tears from your eyes- tears of sorrow and tears of joy. And theas hand will give you strength when you need it. With these hands, I will Lift your sorrows, I will light your way in the darkness, and I will always stand by your side.”

Throughout his promise, Harald did not let go of Loki's gaze, he could see all of his feelings reflected in his eyes, and he felt them over their deep connection. The love he felt was so heavy, so wonderfully, and he hugged Loki's hands tightly so as not to let the euphoric feeling knock him out completely. His head spun, and each breath created a wave of electricity through both of their bodies; it was quite literary electrifying

The handfasting ceremony is a symbolic ritual in the eternal; it joined two people in love. It is a sacred ceremony of commitment. A long band was carried to Odin, who picked it up with extreme caution. The ribbon was in a dark green color, a symbol for both Loki and Harald. The edges were adorned with gold and along the ribbon were several marks wrapped around each other in a beautiful pattern. Odin began to wrap their hands together while letting elemental magic weave into the threads, blessing their marriage as he did so. The handfast ceremony was an ancient and appreciated pagan ritual. It is a symbolic union of a married couple tying the knot together.

“I take your hands in mine, and with this string, I will entwine your powers I'll forever bind. From now until the end of time,” Odin tied the ribbon around their hands

Odin was the royal regent of all the nine realms; he was the high priest and the judgments e. This was his duty, and he did so with pleasure as he looked down at the two young men before him. It warmed his old heart, perhaps the prophecy had been wrong all along, and it had not spoken of Loki. Maybe he was not the one to bring forth the Ragnarök. With Harald by his side, they would create a new era of their own, and he was confident that the smaller male would protect his son from whatever to come.

“Here before witnesses, Loki and Harald have sworn their vows to each other. With this cord, I bind them to their vows. However, these binds are not tied so that neither partner is restricted by the other. The only true enforcement of love is the will to love.”

And the people broke out in applause and shouts of happiness when the two newly married kissed and concluded the covenant with which they were blessed.

* * *

Harald rubbed the back of his neck as the stiffness started to make itself known. Loki let a hand fall on the aching place and, with skilled fingers, began to press and massage the annoying muscles in his neck. Harald had to hold back a moan of pleasure as his husband's skillful fingers found the knot and started to untangle it. He was thrilled that this whole thing was now over, and he would be even happier when everyone finally let them go so that they could enjoy their wedding night.

Now he just needed to persuade Loki that it was an excellent decision to go against the traditions. He could not sit here for another 2 hours and wait like on needles before he could finally consummate their bond. He let his magic leak out of him, licking up against Loki's skin and arm, taunting him, challenging his will.

"Careful love, we're in public," Loki chuckled low beside him and sent an impulse from his hands and pressed lightly on the sensitive nerve endings in Harald's spine.

Harald held back a moan but failed, and a low sound escaped him, and he quickly covered it with as snorting sound. "No way, it's _our_ wedding; I say we cut it short."

" Rebellious, are we?" Loki let his long nimble fingers caress under his silky black hair and smiled mischievously when he felt the smaller man shudder under his touch.

"You should know" Harald stroked his closest hand to the outside of his thigh

Loki's pupils got more prominent from the lust that simmered through him, and he looked down at his minx, who smiled sweetly at him, "Stop it."

"Make me," Harald challenged, and the smile grew into a grin, the people around them wholly forgotten.

"Harald"

“Loki…”

Loki shook his head with a smile on his lip "stop, or I just might throw you over my shoulder and escape from this boring event," And what a sight it would be. It was a behavior he expected his dear brother to do. Not him.

"Why do you not do that then, dear husband?" Harald smiled innocently at him, eyes twinkling; it did not sound so bad in his ears

"Because our mothers would kill us?" Loki hummed as his magic pushed back at Harald, answering its calling, mingling together as they did that. He did not joke about their mothers, it was two very fierce women, and they were hard on tradition.

Harald raised his hand and caught one of the longer strands of hair that lay around Loki's shoulders and spun it around his fingers. “Or we can silently slip away under one of your illusion; you _are_ quite good at making them.”

Loki's hand stopped at what he was doing and stared down at Harald. Why had he not thought of that? A wolfish grin emerged on his face, and he chuckled darkly and tilted his head so that he could kiss the inside of Harald's wrist. 

"I am, ain't I?"

Harald smiled victoriously and glanced at the guests laughing and dancing around them. Thor's booming laughter was heard in the crowd, and many toasted and drank to their honor. Harald had always been impressed with Asgradia n 's ability to drink; they took every opportunity to party and celebrate. The room was warm and well lit, and he remembered the first time he stepped through the large doors and met his fate. The day he met Loki again for the first time in several years. They had both developed so much from the young people they had once been, but at the same time, they were precisely the same as they had been. Before Harald could understand what exactly was happening, he felt a tingling sensation sweep over his body. As if someone decided to pour ice-cold water over his head.

Loki dragged him back and into the shadows created by the massive red draperies. Harald could now see a perfect illusion in front of them, they were still sitting close to each other and whispering, and the next test came when some guests came up to talk to them. Harald held his breath, but when that interaction went as planned, he felt that this could work, and he sent amused feelings over their connection. He lives they feel ashamed of fooling them all like this, but he did not, none of them feel any shame. On the contrary, it was exciting to see how easy it was to dodge without anyone realizing what was happening. Of course, the god of mischief needed a mate that had a fun streak inside of him as well.

"Come, my little minx," Loki whispered, his voice low and dark as he dragged him away from the rest of the guests.

A shiver seeped through Harald's body as he quietly followed him. He would surely follow Loki to the end of the world if he so asked him to. But this was their night. They had been intimate with each other before; they felt and given pleasure to each other with both hands and their mouths, but nothing more. Or maybe more with magic, but it was not the same thing. This evening was unique; on the seventh day of the seventh month in the seventh hour, they made their vowes. It was a magical day that suited them perfectly.

Loki gave him an amused glance before they were suddenly teleported from the shadows into their chambers. Their very own wing in the palace until their home was built. But they were not in a hurry, and besides, Loki had his princely duties which he needed to carry out. But none of that mattered now; the only thing that mattered was the other person's warm body that was close.

Loki stood entirely still, his arms around his waist, and Harald felt the dexterous fingers caress his trousers' waistband. Playful and courteous. His eyes were wholly fixed on him, and Harald could feel how his gaze burned pleasantly over his skin when he let it sweep over him.

His head was slightly bent back while he looked up at Loki, who was half a head taller than him. Loki gently had his fingers plucked from the hair ornaments that adorned it during the ceremony and let them fall to the ground. Harald's long black hair fell free, and he pulled his fingers through it, and Harald pressed his face against the touch.

"If we do this, there is no going back."

"I know," Harald replied and took his hand in his and kissed his knuckles; he was ready.

Slowly, Loki started to disrobe him. The long fingers slowly untied the knots that held his ceremonial tunic in place and let them teasingly caress the light skin underneath. 

"No magic?" Harald asked in a thick voice. He stood completely still and let Loki's fingers painfully slowly work its way through the knots.

“No”

Loki slowly pulled the tunic apart, and Harald let it fall off his body, and Loki let his fingers slip up along his body. He understood why they did not use magic on occasion like this; Harald knew it himself. They both wanted to take advantage of the smallest touch they could get out of each other. He sucked up the caresses like a dry sponge. Loki's fingers promised him pleasure, and the mere thought that this was only the beginning made Harald feel how his trousers became a little too tight. 

But he did not intend to let Loki be the only one to have fun. He unbuttoned Loki's cloak and dropped it around their feet in a hard thump. He put his hands under the green tunic and caressed the skin under them, hard and warm. He enjoyed the slender figure of his mate as his finger sank into the warm flesh and never broke away from his intense gaze. 

He felt Loki fumbling with the metal that kept the lower half of his dress in place. The soft sound of claps unhooking filled the silence between them until nothing held up his clothes, and they fell heavy down on the ground. Pooling into a crumpled circle around their feet. Loki let his hand caress his cheek, and Harald grabbed it and hugged his hand hard before Loki's lips pressed against his own in a soft kiss. The tingling of magic quickly weaving into his body, Harald groaned as he felt how his legs almost gave out.

If it had not been for Loki's arms, he would have fallen to the ground. He felt Loki chuckled on his lips.

"I know I'm good, but this is a new record of making you fall for me."

Harald swatted his arm with a hot blush burning over his cheeks, "Do not inflate your ego more than it already is."

Loki laughed and scooped him up in his arms and successfully ignored his protest. He carried him to the bed that was ready for them, the green-blue silk blanket caressed Harald's back, and he looked up at Loki, who rose above him.

"You love my ego, admit it," teased Loki and lowered his head, and attacked the delicate ivory throat. Tasting the slightly salty skin and felt how the pulse under his lips increased when he let his teeth nibble against it. 

Harald moaned softly and tilted his head back, giving him more access to his skin, "I'm not what you're talking about."

"Oh, but I think you do, my light" Loki spun and began to adorn his face with feathery kisses.

"Not at all," he gasped as Loki's lips wandered down his neck again, and a pleasant shiver went through his body. He dug his hands into Loki's thick hair and felt his hand wander along his side. The muscles played under his fingers, and he heard Loki's breathing hitched.

"Lies"

Harald laughed. “Would you not know that, oh mighty god of lies.”

"Well," Loki nibbled extra hard at his collarbone this time, making Harald, which at the same time he moaned, "to be able to lie as well as I can, I need to know the truth, right?"

“True” 

“There you go.”

Loki suddenly moved down over his chest, and his mouth latched onto one of his sensitive nipples. Making Harald moan in pure pleasure as he did not stop there; as he used one hand to keep playing with the exposed nipple, he let his mouth wander lower, down to his smooth belly, leaving kisses and nips all over the sensitive skin. Loki let his hand caress down over the soft skin and down to his thigh, where he caressed his feathers lightly against his crotch and ignored his cock, which was rock hard already.

"So impatient," Loki hummed but did not give in to the sweet sounds that spread from his mates' lips and his hips that pressed forward.

Harald looked up at him, his flush now spread down his neck and to his chest, the goosebumps rising along the surface, and the trembling traveled through him. Loki smooths his hand over his chest and pinches his nipples that now were hard and sensitive because Harald cries out, and his hips bucked up against him at the action. Loki looked up at his little mate and liked what he wawed. The heat in Harald's eyes made him shiver as he stared into the dilated pupils. Loki grind, like the demon cat that got its cream.

"Enjoying yourself, little one?" his own eyes were bright and intense as he stared down at him.

Harald swallowed thickly, throat bobbing as he opened his mouth again, but his breath words were stolen away from him by a moan as Loki inserted a finger into the thigh entrance. Harald breathed hitch for a second, and his body tense before he relaxed again. Loki started to gentle pump in and out; he twisted his finger and curled as he tried to find his sweet spot; as he found it, Harald threw his head back and gasped for air at the sensation.

“Fuck”

Loki chuckled as he raised his head and looked down at the now almost dark eyes "what words d u use" he was teased " That's the plan; it's almost as if you liked it"

Loki let his fingers touch the same place again, and Harald's body bent up slightly, and he was rewarded with another soft moan. Loki slid in a second finger inside his little mate and started scissoring them as he pulled in and out. He was always making sure to press it right against his prostate. He watched at Harald became a bubbly mess of pleasure before he let the third finger inside, making his breath hitch in both pleasure and sweet pain as he repeated the same action as before.

Unable to resist any longer, Loki pulled his fingers out of his smaller lover and moved back, drawing a low complaining from the body underneath him.

"Tell me what you want," he murmured, "tell me what you _need,_ my little star."

“Loki, please… ..” Harald begged as he raised a trembling hand and entwined them into Loki´s mane of hair, holding on to it desperately. Like if he let go, he would fall through the floor

"Tell me, Star" forest green eyes met viridian as he stared down at his small lover. "Tell me, and I will give it to you" His heartbeat picked up speed at the gorgeous male in front of him, and remember that he was _his_ , his to touch, his to cherish, and his to love. His skin is hot to his touch, soft and crackling with magic.

"You, I want you," Harald begged and moved underneath him, moving his hips.

"That's right," Loki breathed "beg for me," he whispered when he leveled his lips with Harald's ear and nibbled on the earlobe as the finger that still was inside his small husband started to create a lube with his magic as he set out to prepare him for something much bigger.

Drawing out a mewing sound from Harald, “Loki-…. Loki, please… Don't teas, or I will make you suffer tenfold.”

Harald felt the warm air tickling his neck as Loki chuckled and kissed his collarbone, leaving a red mark as he did. “Always so demanding, my love,”

Loki pushed another finger in and, without much effort, found the sensitive bundle right away, and he knew it would leave his husband breathless. A soft growl was the only response he got before Harald wrapped his arms around the larger male waist, pulling him closer and tilting his head up, and claiming his lips in a rough but passionate kiss.

“You have no idea!” Harald breathed hard. “Now get going, or your ass will be mine.”

Loki could not hold back a delighted laugh. His little one could be such a beast; no one would believe him if anyone knew how dominant and ordering Harald could be when he wanted something, And Loki loved every second of it.

“As you please, love,” Loki took hold of his husband's beautiful long hair and made him tilt back his head slightly, giving him the chance to place a kiss on the nape of his neck that was blotted before him.

Harald held his breath as Loki slowly started to push himself into the now loose and drenched entrance; he choked on a moan as his eyes pressed close. Loki grunted and stilled as he was balls deep, giving his husband a chance to get used to the feeling of him. Loki kissed away a stray tear that Harald hadn't even noticed fallen from his eyes as he opened them, staring down at the beautiful sight beneath him. He started to slow-roll his hips, making Loki hiss in pleasure and grunted as he slowly pulled out, only to thrust even more in-depth next time, still at a slow, deliberate pace. He started to move with his thrusts in a new rhythm, one that sang of their union. The sound that fell from his lips was a rumbling mess.

Unable to hold on anymore, Loki quickened the pace, making Harald cry out in the new pleasure sensation and grip his arms for something substantial to ground him. Lip parted and eyes closed, he was unable to do anything other than _feeling_ him _._ He wrapped his arms around his shoulder and buried his face in his husband's neck, knowing that he soon would not be able to hold on much longer.

With his lean yet muscular body flexed, Harald found himself rocked roughly every time the other slid back in. Their wet skin made a sharp slapping sound and made the slicking sound of two fully connected bodies echoing the room like some lewd music. Harald gasped breathily when he felt not only his newly named husband filling him up, but also their magic started to leak out of them, mingling together like a mist of oozing electricity all around them. Making both of them breathe it in, bath in each other's existence. Both of them lost in the physical haze of sex; this was no longer passionate lovemaking anymore; it was primal, raw, and real.

Suddenly a new electric feeling hit Harald, and he could not hold in the loud cries of pleasure as Loki repidently started hitting his prostate, again and again at the exact right angle. The mist of magic felt denser around them, suffocating, exhilarating, and it was filling them both up, and within seconds he came first, unable to hold back anymore.

Look at me, Loki growled in a dark voice." Look at me as I claim what's mine, claiming you, Harald" His voice was possessive, and as Harald did what he ordered, he was not disappointed. 

Loki's eyes were on fire; it was like the magic made his eye color two shades lighter, and a circle of gold made the looks more intense and sharp than he had ever seen them. 

“Yes,” Harald breathed out as he tried to fill his lungs with the much-needed oxygen. “Make me…. yours,” his fingers digging into flustrated skin as he tried to ground himself from the hard rhythm; he could feel a second orgasm building up painfully fast. His mouth opened in a silent scream as he felt how the magic did what his bonded said, claimed him.

And with that, Loki grunted as his orgasm washed over him; Harald could feel each spasm his body made. Automatically, his passage muscles began to seize, successfully squeezing on Loki, draining him. He could feel Loki still rocking hard into him, instinctively trying to push his come deeper into him as he possibly could do. And Harald almost comes again as the feeling of the thick cock jerk inside of him. He could feel it releasing another gush of semen deeper inside, made him see stars as their magic also exploded around them and inside of them both.

Loki's body came down, wonderfully crushing Harald as he could feel the warm liquid that still filled him up. But not only that, but Loki's magic was now also pushing inside of him, raw and eager to connect with his soul mate and bonded. It pulsed with life, and he could feel how both of their magical cores burned hot underneath their skins.

Harald threw his head back in a groan as he tried to catch his breath and tried to fight against the beautiful unconsciousness that threatened to overtake him as his magic lashed out against Loki as well. Loki's whole body was now firmly pressed against him, skin to skin, soaking up the sweat and residue magic, and there were black spots that invaded his vision and mind for a second as he felt it all _connect_.

It felt like his arm and back were on flames; with each sharp thrust of Loki's hips, the magic prickles their skins rawly. He had to have blacked out for a second because when he came back to it, Loki laid warm and gentle kisses all over his shoulder and up against his lovely, abused neck that surely would leave a lot of marks, but he did not care. Loki slowly laid down beside him, pulling out with a wet sound, and suddenly he felt empty like he lost something that was a part of his being. Harald felt the strong and safe arms hug him closer to his chest, and he nuzzled into Loki, seeking the warmth and feeling of safety he knew that only he could provide.

“Look,” the softness in Loki's voice was of love and wonder as held up Harald's mark. The flowers were now in full bloom, all the way up to his shoulder, and without even looking, he knew it went over his back. Exactly as Loki's mark now had grown in reverse. The forget me not, and golden peony adored almost every piece of skin, and it made Harald gasp as the magic inside of them resonated with each other.

Loki chuckled and nuzzled his neck. “I love the thought that we are made for each other”

Harald could not help to chuckle as he traced the flower pattern of his husband's arm. This sizeable colorful soul mark was really rare; it was a sign of power and a show how correctly connected they were. Everything about them was…. complementary, it was a strange sensation his mushy brain could not fantasize at the moment, so he was pleased to realize that nothing could ever separate them. They were forever welded together, in this life or the next, come what may.

_I love you_

He felt his lips against his head as he caressed his back with light strokes. He could feel their magic resonance inside of him, permanently, like nothing could ever break the new bond that had been created between them. He would enjoy trying out their newly found connection.

_Love you too my littel starlight_

He could even feel Loki’s heartbeat next to his, like a ghost sensation that beat with the exact rhythm as his. They were no longer two persons but one and the same. And With that, Harald let the welcoming darkness claim him as he snuggled deeper into Loki’s embrace as he fell asleep to the sound of his beating heart. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some parts of the wedding vows are from “the chaos of stars” by Kiersten White. I absolutely loved it and thought it was fitting as their vows :D. Also the hand fast ceremony is taken from the celtic/ viking bonding ceremony because the Vikings worshiped the Nordic gods and followed the traditions. 
> 
> Love ya all!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for not updating sooner. A lot is going on in life between school, work, and exams right now, and it has been crazy! 
> 
> Thank you all for your comments and kudos, you are all fantastic, and I love writing for you! It makes this whole thing worth it.

For a second, Harry was unable even to muster the energy to move a single muscle. Slowly he opened his eyes and looked down at his hands in his lap, where he had put them before sinking into his meditative stage. He moved his fingers a little, stiff, and slowly he clenching his fists as hard as possible before relaxing them. 

The meditation had worked precisely as he had hoped; it had even performed better than he could have guessed it would. It felt as if all the memories were closer than before, like the wall that held them had broken and slowly started to leak.

Harry exhaled slowly and felt how his body was unnaturally cold, and his magic core felt more tender than before. He put a hand over his heart and felt how fast it was beating; he leaned forward a little when the stinging feeling grabbed him. 

It was almost painful to think about the memories. To think about what had happened and feel the love Harald had for the black-haired trickster prince. The feeling was now invading Harry as a sled hammer. How was it even possible to love someone he had not even met? Not in this lifetime anyway, and even if he found Loki, there was no guarantee whatsoever that he still felt the same for him. 

_….Give up…._

Harry froze; he both heard and felt the words caress against his magic. The voice had been so low, and he would surely have missed it if he hadn't been sitting here in silence. Harry sat completely still and waited for something more, anything, but nothing came. Maybe he had imagined it? But the voice had neither been his, what he knew, nor was it Harald's.

But at the same time, he did not dare to hope that it had been Loki that had tried to reach him because that was probably only wishful thinking. It also did not help that as soon as Harry tried to grab hold of the feeling, it slipped away. It was as if he tried to grab hold of water that just fell through his fingers.

On the bright side, Harry was now quite sure that this unnatural icy cold feeling had something to do with Loki. There was no other explanation. But the words that whispered through his soul had been a new experience, something he had not experienced in this body and something that made him feel uncomfortable. It had almost been forced, and he did not like what the feeling conveyed. 

Harry felt a tickling sensation at the bottom of his cheek and down his throat, which made him blink in surprise. When had his vision become so blurred? he wiped away the tears that had decided to fall on his cheeks, but he could not make the tears stop flowing.

The world outside was now dark when Hermione returned to the library with extra candles and a tray of food. They had been sitting there long enough without absorbing any nutrition and was mostly only waiting for Harry to wake up again. And since she refused to let them get a house-elf, she picked up the things herself. Ron had decided to stretch a little and make a stop to the loo for a while. However, Hermione knew it was only an excuse to get away for a moment.

None of them had come close to an answer, and although she did not want to, she had to admit that she might not found their answer in any books. And she was starting to feel frustrated by the lack of information. How could she not? When her brother in everything but blood went through such a difficult situation, she could only stand on the sideline and wait for him to relive his memories. Not only that, he had gone through a creature heritage, but he also had an old soul mate somewhere in the universe, and they had no idea where he was.

Hermione stepped into the lovely and warm library, which was easily her favorite place in the house. Not because of the books, but how it felt safe. She immediately let her gaze fall on the only living soul inside, and he was where they had left him. But what she saw made her heart sink into her stomach. Hermione put down the tray at the nearest table before slowly walking over to him.

Harry did not even look up at her but tried to hold on to the small amount of dignity that he still had. But the icy, empty feeling did not help him, and it almost felt like the temperature around him had dropped as it spared through him. He felt so lost.

“You know,” Hermione carefully stretched out a hand and wiped away his tears, “I remember a wise young woman saying that things we lost have a way of coming back to us in the end…. if not always in the way we expect. " Her words were met with a low wet chuckling.

"Do not give up, Harry. We will find him eventually, "

Harry nodded despite her hands and felt the warmth that sped through her touch. Hermione looked down at him for a moment, searching for something, before giving his cold sweaty forehead a light kiss before pulling away.

"Indeed a smart woman" Harry closed his eyes and exhaled choppily.

Hermione smiled. "That she was," she said before getting a more serious expression, "was it a bad memory?"

Harry shook his head, "No, on the contrary," he rubbed his face with both hands to wipe away the last evidence of his tears. It had been one of the best memories he had ever had so far.

"It's stupid, isn't it? " He said and swallowed the lump in this thought, "how you can go your whole life without knowing something that you so desperately needed.... but as soon as you've had it and it's gone, you never be the same again, and you suddenly can't live without it."

Hermione watched him for a moment before she decided not to pressure him for more information on what he meant by it.

"No, It is not stupid, "

She could only imagine what chaos his head was in right now, and she hated that she could not be of more help to him on this matter. She waved her wand so that the kettle of tea began to pour into two different cups. Harry stiffly rose from the floor to the table, took the first cup, and took a sip of the hot liquid. He felt the warm tee flow through his throat and leaving behind a warm sensation. He exhaled and felt more relaxed as he did.

"Thank you. I needed that," Harry said, pulling his finger over the edge of the cup. Feeling the warmth spread throw the edges.

Hermione took her own cup and sipped its sweet contents and nodded contentedly; it was perfect. She let her brown gaze fall on him again and could not help feeling that something had changed. The only question was what it was this time. Harry felt her gaze but decided not to point it out but picked up an apple; he knew what she was thinking without her tell him. He could feel it.

Harry chuckled low without any trace of humor in the sound, "One thing is for sure. My magic had now changed completely."

He looked down at the fruit in his hand and held it up, he let the energy flow through him, and the apple started to rise in the air. And with a precision he did not have before, he cut it into eight perfect pieces. Without saying a word, he angled his hand so that the parts could lie neatly on the plate, just like a bright yellow flower. It almost reminded him of the peonies on his arm.

"It's almost like I now have two different kinds of magic; they are the same but still different," he explained as he picked up an apple piece and put it in his mouth, and leaned against the massive table.

"I know that the new one has to be some kind of alien magic, and the other one is what I inherited from my parents; how is that even possible? to have two different sources of magic? ”

"I do not know" Hermione ran a hand lightly through her bushy hair. "I have never heard of that happening before, but then again, what is happening to you is a first for me as well ... can you perhaps explain it better?"

Harry nodded a little uncertainly; he could at least try, but then again, he was not exactly sure how to put words to the feelings. He took up an apple slice and started to chew on it.

"it's like I have two pairs of glasses on; in one way, I feel this… .energy all around us," he said and looked up at the ceiling in the library. The whole mansion was covered in ancient magic, and he could now feel it move as he reached out to the feeling. It felt like the entire mansion was… alive somehow, and it was pushing back at him in a happy humming.

"This ... energy is guaranteed to come from the alien magic… "

"... It is probably sedir magic, I believe I read it in Asgardian mythology," interrupted Hermione, and Harry gave her a slightly amused expression.

"Sorry... continue, promise I will be silent."

Harry snorted. As if he ever could believe that, but he continued anyway, "... I'm sure, I know that Harald was in tune to nature and the energy everything that was sent out. I believe that it is what I can now sense like my awakening is making my body remember the feeling. I can touch it, see and manipulate it at will. But at the same time, I feel that it…. ” Harry paused in his explanation and frowned. How could he explain this feeling? As if his magic was not threatening. It was calm, protective, but at the same time, he knew that the energy could explode outwards, like a storm. But the overwhelming feeling was still that it was meant to protect, and he said the same thing out loud.

Hermione made a low humming sound and bit her thumbnail as she wanted to figure something out. Harry could see how the gears in her brain worked to connect the information, and he waved his hand to let her verbally tell him her thoughts.

"Go ahead; I can see you almost burst in excitement. Do I need to take cover?"

Hermione scoffed, "I do not! You asked me to be quiet, and I 'am."

"Well, I telling you to speak up now, so speak."

“Alright, well I was thinking that.. perhaps… no, that cannot be that simple .. right?” she went to a pile of books and ran her fingers over their backs until she found what she was looking for and looked up the book.

“What did you find?” Harry asked

"I have been thinking .."

“No surprise there.”

“Oh, hush you…Let me speak. I have thought that there is perhaps more to your connection with Harald than we know. Did you know that the Potters were masters at wards? ”

Harry looked at her in surprise at that, "no... I did not"

“Well, they were. I found several books of different protective wards, spells, and amazing pentagrams. It would probably explain how your mom could save you before she died. Some wards have a heavy price to pay for making, ”Hermione replied, holding her finger along a specific section of the book. 

"And according to what you have told me about Harald, his magic is also leaning towards the more defensive side of things, right? and Loki was probably the more offensive in their relationship. Ying to his Yang and all that sorts."

"I can be offensive if I have to," Harry said, almost complaining, and a little bit offended; he had dueled with Voldemort, he could be offensive when he needed it. But then there was that little fact that he indeed had defeated the dark wizard with an expelliarmus spell. Making the elder wand snap out of Voldermorts hand as his body had slowly returned to ashes. But that didn't count; he had beaten him fair and square. Was a Pratrons also an offensive spell? He had no idea, he could protect himself from a hoard of the dark soul-sucking creature, but it could even kill them.

Harry had to hold back a groan as he started to see a red thread through all his action and use of spells, even if he didn't want to. He had killed several others, he could be aggressive, he could attack as well as defend himself, but he hated to admit it; he was better at defending.

"You think about it too much," Hermione said, closing the book. "Just because you're better at one thing does not mean you're bad at the other."

"I know….still," Harry muttered, letting go of that matter. They had other things to discuss.

He closed his eyes before holding out his hand and letting small particles accumulate in his hand and illuminate it. He frowned; even though he could use the energy, it was as if he was still miles away from really mastering it. But when he tried to shape it into a disk in front of them, it shone in a golden tone before slowly fading out, not doing anything. Hermione looked almost like a child on Christmas, making his face flush red.

"Alright, the other is our magic," he quickly continued where they had broken off before. He fingered his wand, which he had attached to his hip. "I cannot call on it in the same way as the sedir magic; I still have to use my wand,”

"Interesting," Hermione wrote down her notes before taking a sip from the hot drink in front of her, " perhaps there are two different kinds of magic out there? or maybe there is more to it… Maybe we are onto something new here, Harry, perhaps we can... “

Hermione's words subsided from his hearing as he felt a cold caress travel along his neck, and the cold feeling was back. And this time, it felt like someone was squishing his heart as the words spoke softly, more substantial than before.

_… ..You… .are pathetic…._

It was that voice again. Harry could feel how phantom nails now were pulled down from his neck and along his chest, leaving an unpleasant feeling in its track. Harry gasped for air as it felt like his lungs had stopped working and opened his eyes wide in shock. His hand shot out, just missing the table, as he stumbled to the side. His vision tilting, he tried to grasp the feeling that was shooting throw him. The familiar yet strange feeling of Lokis magic. But it had not been only Loki's voice that spoke, it had been many different voices all in one, but this feeling that was traveling through him, that was Loki. 

“Harry? Harry! "Hermione's screaming tore him away from the feeling, and he blinked, puzzled as the feeling slowly disappeared from his chest as he stared unseeing down at the wooden floor.

" Harry? can you hear us? ”

He slowly forced his head to move and saw the anxious face of both his best friends in front of him; he swallowed around the stone that had formed in his throat.

"did… did you hear that?"

Ron groaned as he flipped his head back, "Not this again," he had just come in when Hermione tried to get Harry's attention, and he had some kind of seizure, "I swear Harry, if the manor has a basilisk in the basement, I'm moving out." Han looked over to his friend, " Do... the Potters have a Basilisk? "

Harry laughed low, and his throat strung as he did. The last time he _had_ heard a voice no one else could hear, it had been a gigantic snake. "No, no snake, promise, it was more of a male ... voice."

"Loki's voice?" Hermione asked anxiously. That had not been a fun experience.

“Yes… No… Maybe? I do not know! ” Harry sighed, "At first I thought it was Loki's voice, but the second time I'm certain it was not." But the question was, how had he felt about the connection he shared with Loki? He could feel how his magical core and energy began to fuse every minute that passed after every memory he experienced. He no longer saw himself as either Harry or Harald, but it was like a tug-of-war inside of him, one fought for the power to drive his mind and body. It was confusing. 

_I got you now… ... little seidr ..._

Once was chance, twice was a coincidence, but a third time... that was a pattern. The voice this time had been so full of hatred and maliciousness that he almost automatically wanted to throw himself away from the source. Hideaway from the owner of that voice, but he forced himself to stay.

_...Your mine now..._

Harry put a hand over his heart and felt the cold caressing his insides gather just below his navel. The cold feeling only grew inside him, drawing in his magic like a black hole that sucked up everything around him. And this time, he could feel the pond starting to leak out more and more, blue-tinted energy leaking in with green one.

 _Loki?…_ Harry blinked when he pressed his thought and magic against the cold feeling. This was the same feeling he experienced in the memories; he was entirely sure of it. Then it must mean that the voice still belonged to Loki!

 _Who….NO!…._ Loki's voice broke the other man's voice and struck hard against his magic; surprised, horror-mixed delight swirled around at the same time. Was Loki's voice, but at the same time not; it was as if there were several voices at once with an echo of the malicious one was still there, but he was the most prominent. 

Harry tried to grasp the feeling of Loki desperately. It felt as if he could start crying with happiness over the familiar feeling while he also wanted nothing else than to shout at him to beware of the danger. It was so confusing

 _Where are you?_ Harry pushed the question over the connection; it almost felt like he was trying to get the words through something thick liquid.

It was hard, and he could not grasp it, but he thought the connection was there but somehow not stable. The link was burning hot, and at the same time, that horrible icy feeling that Harry had started to hate spread through him. 

_No… WrOnG…. WronG…._

_Do not touch him! He's mine....._

_NEVER…._

_N-o...h-Ur-t…i-m._

Loki's voice died, and a wall suddenly slammed against Harry. And before he could perceive anything else, a low dark laugh echoed in his mind, and then it also ebbed out. The whole situation had not taken more than a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity, and the emptiness that filled him was… wrong.

For the first time, it felt like time had started to run out on them. Whoever had Loki entailed an indirect danger to them and, in the worst case, Death. A thought struck Harry from nowhere

"I need to talk with Death," as soon as those words left Harry, it felt right. Why had he not been thinking of that before? Why was he only now thinking of Death?

Both Ron and Hermione looked at him in surprise.

“Sorry…. but I believe I heard you wrong.”Ron sat as he rubbed his ear, “ I just thought you said you should talk to Death, but that's completely bonkers, right? right? ” he looked at them both doubtfully, and when no one told him that he had heard wrong,

"Right?" Ron squeaked out as he paled.

Hermione stared at Harry. "Actually, I believe that it is a good idea."

 _“_ WHAT?" Cried Ron, alarmed "are you out of your god dame mind? _"_

"Oh, come to one, Ron," Hermione rolled her eyes, "Harry is _the_ master of Death; he has all of the hallows. And it is as he said, perhaps we have been looking at the problem in the wrong way all this time, it is worth a shot."

Ron stared at his girlfriend. "Alright, now I know I'm going bonkers; I think I just heard Hermione say we have been wasting time reading a mountain worth of books?"

She raised her head and put her nose in the air. "Knowledge learned is never a bad thing, Ronald; perhaps you should try it more often."

"Yeah, right," he muttered. They did not have to exaggerate.

"Give it a rest, Ron, you never win that argument, " Harry grinned as he walked away from them with a new determination in his steps," you know that"

"And where are you going?" Hermione asked after him

"To meditate again in another room, so that Ron won't blow a gasket when we have a special visitor" Harry grinned as he raised his hand and called for a whole apple as he walked away and smiled when he heard a gruff 'I won't do that' and 'show off' as he held back a grin and left.

* * *

The feeling that surrounded him was strange. 

Harry had never really appreciated the idea that he was the master of Death, and honestly, he had not spoken to Death since the first time he had whispered in his ear after Voldemort's defeat. And even then, he had only said that they would be talking at a later date as it was not a good time right then. Hopefully, this was the right time, but it did not make him any less nervous. 

Harry knew that Death is an abstract entity, the pure embodiment of the end of life. The last stop in life, or he used to think that, and then the whole reincarnation thing messed that up for him. It was the Death that loomed in everyone's minds and life. But it was also _that_ Death he was going to try and speak to, hopefully. 

Harry knew that sometimes the thoughts about Death went so far that people forgot everything else but this final mystery of the universe. The final aspect of life that they could not understand, that they could not control over. And that scared them, and with that, the fear of Death could grow larger and kept the living from living their life. He had seen it so many times; he had seen it in Voldermorts attempt to trick Death of his rightful claim of his soul.

Harry exhales slowly. He had to let his thoughts go, for now at least.

Meditation had so far been the best solution to his problem, and right now, he needed it to work. He could honestly say that he was starting to feel a little desperate and .. frustrated ... In any case, he needed to find Loki, whatever he was. He emptied his brain of all scattering thoughts and focusing on one thing, and this time it was his will to face Death for the first time in person. 

Harry let that feeling spread within him and exhaled; a fly buzzed somewhere in the room, irritated his concentration, but he forced himself to sift it away. And then, slowly, there was some kind of strange charge in the atmosphere around him. He could feel it tickling over his exposed skin, and his soul mark was heating up. 

He took a chance and opened his eyes, and blinked to a little surprise. There were dust particles that hung still in the air like someone put a move in pause, and everything was utterly silent around him. It was a strange feeling; it was as if he had entered a gray zone of some kind. All the lively energy he had been feeling beforehand now had completely stopped.

And he felt empty and cold.

In front of him stood a tall skeleton cloaked in a vast black cloak with a dark purple inside. The skeleton stood utterly still, and his arms hung along the sides, and it did not move. Harry looked closely at the strange cloak that was almost dragging his gaze in; he could have sworn that he saw stars and galaxies swirling around in the fabric. 

The skeleton suddenly pulled the fabric tighter around him, and Harry got the feeling that Death was smiling. An embarrassed heat spread over his cheeks as if he had seen something he should not see. 

"Hello Harry James Potter, it's an honor to meet you in person. I'm the Avatar of Death" When Death talked, it was like small claps sounded in the room like someone grounded two rocks together, and yet, Harry could understand it just fine. He should not have been surprised, as Death was a skeleton without any vocal cords to speak with.

“The Avatar of Death? Is that what I should call you? ” Harry asked

"Yes and no, you can call me Death or Ava, as some of my friends call me," the skeleton said, "But that story is perhaps for another time. I do believe that you have other, more pressing questions for me."

Harry blinked slowly at the skeleton's words. It was as if all his thoughts were emptied when he began to meditate. But he was pretty sure this was not the picture he had painted about the deity, a skeleton, right, but he could not place his dialect or his the feeling he got from it that was mostly amusement. But then again, call the deity Ava? Nope, that he would never be comfortable to do.

"I… do have some questions, but first, did you stop time?" Harry looked around again; he hoped that he stopped it because then he could ask everything he needed to know right now. But as the skeleton spoke, he crushed that hope.

“No, Next question.”

Harry stared at the skeleton; he got the feeling that this would not be as easy as he had hoped. It was clear that Death had done something to their surroundings, but Harry could not figure out what it was. Could he learn to do the same? He had never thought about what it meant to be the Master of Death; it was just an unnecessary title he came across. But if he could stop time, perhaps they would have more time to find out what the hell was going on. Death moved before him, and Harry returned to the present.

He cleared his throat lightly, okay, one thing at a time, "Can you tell me why you need a master?"

"Wrong question."

Harry blinked in surprise, " No, I want to know that one."

"What you want is not always what you need," Death stated as he looked at him, and then Harry could hear a mental sigh. He could even _feel_ how Death was a little bit disappointed in the lack of right questions, but still seemed to agree to answer him anyway. 

“Because of who I am. As Death, I have infinite power and knowledge, but that can also create an imbalance, so simple enough, I need a master to keep both me and Creation in balance, birth, and rebirth. Chaos and order. Life and Death. Balance. Now next question, we do not have all day, and I can't tell you anything if you don't ask.” 

"But you did not even answer my question," Harry complained and struck out with his arm frustrated, which had only gained him more question on the matter.

“Yes, I did.”

Harry bit back another protest before sighing and pressing his fingers into his eyes to try to alleviate the headache that throbbed behind his temple. 

"Can you tell me where Loki is now?"

“No”

The short answer made Harry's anger bubbling underneath his skin, and he bit down so as not to verbally spat his frustration on the skeleton.

"No, you do not know where he is or No, you will not tell me," he asked in a deadpanned voice

"I know, but I cannot tell you because it is not for you to know."

"Then WHAT can you tell me?" Snapped Harry, it was like some feelings were leaking in him that was not his own, feeling his anger, his frustration with the world. The skeleton stood still, and Harry got the feeling that he suddenly was talking to a wall, but a wall would probably have more answers than Death had given him so far. 

"What do you know of creation?"

Harry stared at the skeleton for a moment after his question and then slowly exhaled through gritted teeth. He needed answers, and he felt that if he asked the right questions, he would get the answer he was looking for, but that was easier said than done. It was like Death was playing games with him. The problem right now, ironically, was what the right question was.

Harry looked at the skeleton a second longer before reciting what he had been reading about the different entities and deities. When had he been such a scholar?

”I know that Creation is a being without any beginning or end. He created himself out of nothing; he is the God of Creation and something of a king to the Gods. Even as its name is endless, Creation has several titles, but no one knew who he is as he works through others. " Harry raved and tried to remember what else he knew about the being.

Death nodded. A feeling of contentment swept over Harry as he did.

“That's right. Creation is a being that is everything and nothing simultaneously because he can create it all. He has several avatars working underneath him; eternity, chaos, magic, miracle, and destiny are a few of them.”

"That is interesting, but what has this got to do with my situation or Loki's, for that matter?" Harry asked, pulling his hand through his long hair, making a small mess out of it.

“Because of balance.”

Harry did groan out loud in frustration this time, and the tickling feeling swept over his neck, and he gave Death an annoyed glance when he could more or less hear him snickering in his mind. But it seemed like he was finally taking pity on him.

"Loki is chaos and destruction; he is magic and the fire that lights up in every person. That is a few of creations most powerful avatars. But as all of these titles are strong, powerful, and wild in their own rights, together they are unstable," Death said and raised his hand, and a golden sphere was formed in front of him. 

"Give them too much, and they will try and devour and battle each other for control" the sphere expanded and at the same time began to circulate the others in a hunting dance as they fused into a more massive golden ball. "That's where you came in," the skeleton said calmly and let a silver ball form in between the other and began to revolve around the golden one, making the ball sway calmly. "You are there to keep his balance as much as he is there to keep yours."

"Why me?" Harry looked at the two balls that flew around each other in a dance of their own.

"Why not you?" replied the skeleton, and Harry could bloody feel the amusement sipping out of Death at the words.

"Stop answering my question with a new question, please." Harry muttered, but his protest was only met with a new wave of amusement, "I know about the Peverell family that went through the test, and one of them succeeded; why not have him as your master?"

This time it seemed as if he was asking the right question, for Death hummed contentedly and banished the spheres and began to walk around and look at the meditation room. Time was still out of the loop, and when he walked around, the dust particles moved along the skeleton—almost making a tunnel behind him.

"I have always been fascinated by humanity," Death said as he stopped, "as Death, I lack the fundamentals of comprehension. I'm intrigued by humanity's ability to complicate their existence, and If I have to say, I'm deeply impressed how they etch morning can rise to the sun and not go insane from the sheer perspective of what life entails. Not only that, I always feel a sympathy tower for humanity, so when they ask for a little more time before I take them to the afterlife."

Harry turned around to follow the walking skeleton as the deity looked out of the window for a second as he talked.

" I usually ask them to play a good game of chess with me. I do love that game, the best invention of humankind. And the human get some time to calm down and accept that they had played their part in life. The Peverell brother, Ignitus, was one of my best candidates. Sadly, he was only a mortal, and therefore his soul could not exist for too long. He also had to accept that he had played his part, “Said Death as he suddenly poked the focus that was in the middle of the room, making a soft clang rang out of it as he did. Death hummed before he continued his inspection of this realm.

“He lived far longer than any of his brothers or even the magical community at that time. But he still was only a human. ” The Skeleton straightened up and walked towards Harry again. 

"You, on the other hand, are not '' one of Death's bony hands reached out and poked Harry in the chest, making the spot glow silver and warmth zippered through his body. 

"You have always been my final candidate, young one. Immortal, strong, and the other half of chaos. A perfect match, I was going to talk with you."

Harry could feel Death smiling at him as he stared at the off-white skull; he had no idea what to say. He understood the meaning behind Death's words; a human soul had certain limitations. It simply could not live too long because then the soul began to lose its grip on reality. But had not Harald failed? he would not have been worthy of taking over that title? 

".... and then Fate decided she was bored and messed everything up" Death shook his head in sorrow and sighed, "And a bored Fate is nothing you want to deal with. I like that human reference; they call it the snowball effect? Where one choice leads to another, and then the ball is spinning out of our control. And Thanos was the effect of this one, as was Harald's Unexpected Death."

Harry stood frozen at what he heard, Thanos, he recognized that name. Was Thanos not that mad titan in a fairy tale he had heard Loki tell Harald at some point? But before he could say anything, the skeleton kept talking.

"Of course, Fate understood her mistake quickly, so she asked her sister Magic for help. And when both Fate and Magic work together, things get out of hand, and miracles are there to balance them out" The sudden clattering laugh made Harry jerk in surprise and stare at him. But the skeleton would not explain what was so funny.

"Anyway, Thanos got into his head that he needed to court Death, and my Heir was standing in his way of doing that…."

"Wait. What?..... Court ...you?" Harry interrupted; how in the world could anyone come up with the idea of court Death?

"Oh, galaxy no!" a trembling clattering laugh echoed in his head. "Well, not me indirectly, more like the Goddess of Death, one of my more scheming underlings that are."

The Goddess of Death? So it was not just one who bore the title of Death, but the more Harry thought about it, the clearer he became. Death must have helpers to be able to handle all the dead, and there were different aspects of Death, so it was not so strange. 

"Correct," Death said as he had been reading his mind, "you are the balance of Death; she is the Goddess of Death, the one that maintains the souls in hell."

Harry stared at him, unimpressed by what he heard.

“What does this all have to do with Loki? Or the Goddess of Death? ” Harry felt like he was getting impatient; why couldn't he get a straight answer? And now he had some strange title? or was it some kind of classification system? Harry could feel a migraine start to build up in his skull.

Everything… and then perhaps nothing. I perceived an imbalance in the universe. As Thanos had collected the first infinity gem, he thought he was one step closer to his love. And I fear that the goddess shares some of his… feelings… I do not know; I have not spoken to Hela since the Allfather exiled her to her realm. She blames me for that part, sadly. But then someone told Thanos about the position as master of Death, and unfortunately, neither he nor his informant had no idea what that title meant. But what the informant told him was that Harald had that power." Death spoke so merely on the matter as if he was talking about the weather.

Harry knitted his brows. "But I was not at that time ..."

“... no, you were not, but Thanos did not know that, and this person did not tell that specific detail. He believed that you now held his so-called 'love' as a slave, " Death told him slowly

" Your sacrifice as Harald stopped him for a long time, that was clever of you, and I know both miracle and magic want to reward you for that." 

Harry felt his head spin again and rubbed his forehead in sheer frustration. "Wait; what reward? And Harald sacrifice himself? how?" 

Harry had known that he had to be able to great Death willingly as Harald, or he would not be standing here right now. But to hear him say that after all of the memories that he had been able to remember. He could not see that happen; he had been so happy and in love. But Harald had sacrificed himself for what?!

Death hummed.

A small voice in Harry's head told him not to fight against the memories' fundamentals and remember that everything could happen in war. If Harald had met with Thanos and had sacrificed himself, there has to be a good reason for it. There was a feeling inside of him that was slowly rising, a sense that if Harry ever would meet the titan, he would have to get the hell out of there as fast as he could.

That he was no match for the titan.

But whatever Harald had done should have dealt with Thanos, right? He had sacrificed himself, so at least that threat had to be gone by now. Because it had been ages ago. But Harry knew was that Thanos was no ordinary enemy; he was not that easy to defeat. 

"Yes,…" the soft-spoken word of Death caressed his mind. Death almost looked at him with pity. He had no idea how that even worked because there was nothing on the white skull, but Harry knew what he felt was that of sympathy in his gaze.

Harry felt his mouth dry, and his eyes sting as if he had inhaled too much smoke. Death put a gentle and bony hand on his shoulder, and Harry stiffened underneath the weight. It was heavier than he thought, and he tried to focus on that grounding feeling he got from it.

"You have a question, and I need you to say it out loud, young one."

Harry stared into the black holes where a person's eyes would have been. It was as if Death looked toward him, but at the same time, not. Like if he observed something past Harry's physical shell and into his very soul. Harry knew what this last question was; he knew what he wanted to ask, what he needed to know.

But at the same time, he feared it. 

Harry stared into the dark holes where the eyes should be, and he could not even see the bottom of the skull as he did. His head begins to spin, dizziness invaded his sight, but he did not pull away. Harry inhaled a painfully slow breath; the words tasted like ash on his tongue.

"Can you make me remember?"

“Yes”

He drew in his breath and swallowed the needles that changed places with his saliva. He needed to know. And as he opened his mouth again to speak, this time was his voice one of a commanding; there was no doubt about what he said. 

"Do it."

“As you wish, Master.”

Bony fingers ran along his cheek to his forehead; Harry tried to keep them with his gaze, but as the fingers began to sink into his head, he closed his eyes. A shiver went through Harry; he could almost feel the bones practically vibrating in his head, and the ancient, dense magic sipped inside. 

The familiar feeling of the cold shiver went through him, the telltale that he was slipping into something old. And this time, he welcomed the darkness and the memory that was brought to life one last time with open arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SORRY!!   
> Please don't kill me. I will not let you hang for long, I promise. I'm working as fast as possible in the next part, but I want to make it as right as possible. And whatever I do, I'm not completely satisfied with it -.-' ah well, we have to wait and see. 
> 
> Stay safe, everyone!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that I usually don't write my responses to comments here, but I have to thank some fantastic people that have been commenting on this fic. So I want to give a shout to En3rgyGirl, Tatemona, Lynariz, and Adeleine for your comments and your kind words. I needed to hear what you all had to say, and I will take my time and don't stress things. Thank you.   
> And on another note, I never thought that this old story would be this popular or that I would fall in love with it again. 
> 
> Italic style is bond talking

**`*´**

_Life begins where fear ends._

**`*´**

**~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *- `Memory´ -* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~**

Everything happened so fast.

Harald remembered how he had called on Heimdal to take him back to Asgard after a day with his family. He loved them, but sometimes they always had a way to crawl under his skin. Now, he longed to spend some well needed time with his husband and refill his lost energy. As soon as he was home, he would jump him and demand some alone time and silence.

Home.

It was still bizarre to call Asgard his... home. But honestly, Harald had been thinking it over at least a dosing times and came up with the same conclusion every time. It was not Asgard he was feeling was home for him. But instead, wherever Loki was, and now he was on Asgard. Sappy, he knew, but that was the truth. No matter how far away he strayed, Loki would always be waiting for him, holding him close, making him feel safe, and grounded.

But now, as soon as he entered the rainbow tunnel, the feeling of wrongness swallowed him whole. The second presence behind him solidified that feeling. Harald turned around quickly and just managed to avoid the silver blade that almost had hit him straight in the back. As he moved away, the edge had only grazed his shoulder, and the burning sensation over the area hit him like a hot rod.

That had been meant to be a deadly blow.

Everything after the happened rapidly; Harald saw a flash of jet-black hair and icy blue eyes blazing at him with hatred. And then he had been thrown out of Bifrost's protective atmosphere and into the void, breaking the colorful wall into billions of small crystal pieces.

Second, after he had flung out of the rainbow-colored bridge, his magic instinctively encircled him to protect him as he felt how the air around him dragged him down. Harald hit the ground with a painful jolt, and the momentum threw his body around violently. Stone and masses pressed into his side as he tumbled about, and a burning feeling spread over his body as he came to a complete stop. Heavy dust particles flew around him in clouds, and he hissed a painful breath as the hit knocked the air out of his lungs.

Oh, by the Norns, it burned like hellfire in his lungs. Harald forced himself to breathed in hard and looked up; his eyes stung as some of the dirt entered them. Harald raised his head and looked around. His attacker was still out there, and he had the feeling she was close.

One part of him wanted to call on Loki, wanted him to be there for him, help him, but he crushed that thought as soon as it popped up. No, Loki was in an important meeting, and he could deal with her by himself. A wave of low simmering anger bubbled in his chest, and he rolls over on his stomach and spat mixed-blood saliva on the ground to clear his mouth.

The sky was dark; not even a single star lit up the vast space. Three moons hung above him, making the ground around Harald bath in the silver moonlight, acting as a single light to another dark world.

Harald grimaced and moved his arms, and lifted himself into a sitting position. Why was it always his bad luck that followed him? He should have known that everything had been too calm lately, too good to be true. Harald sighed resignedly. Did fate hate him so much, or was it the Norns that liked to play with him, sending his goddamn aunt his way like this.

Harald looked around as his vision adapted to the dim light; he could see more and more that this was not a living planet. This planet had to be some kind of sub-dimension plane of some sort; he could not explain it otherwise. But he could not feel the call of Yggdrasil.

This had to be the void.

"Damn the nine and the Norns," Harald swore low as he hissed in pain when he pressed his hand to the stab wound on his shoulder; his fingers were getting wet with the warm liquid fast. Blood was seeping out of the tear, and through his fingers, it was probably more profound than he first had thought.

Harald could even taste blood in his mouth and dribbling down his cheek, and he pulled it away with the back of his hand to get rid of what he could. He could feat a sore area inside his lip, probably from where he had bit himself. He hates the taste of blood.

Harald could feel a curious caress over his magic as Loki wondered what had happened, and he sent back a feeling that he had to wait. There was no way he would bother them if he could get out of her by his own. Harald groaned and moved his body; he put his legs underneath him and slowly got up. He would not be an easy target; he refused. The only question now was where he ended up and how he could get back home.

Suddenly, Harald saw a shape move in the darkness towards him. It was hard to be sure what it was because of the shadows that flocked around the shape like a cape. The air he breathed felt strange, and it tasted weird. The figure grew more and more as they moved to where he was, and Harald conjured his magic staff in front of him.

He grabbed the familiar cold metal on his signature weapon and felt how it gave him a sense of protection. The green emerald in the rod's shaft caught the moonlight, making the stone sparkle under the light. A mist moved in the stone, golden and shimmering.

The rod was created with the dwarves' metal and forged by their hands. It was made of the same metal as Loki's special daggers were made from. It had been purely by chance, though he was not surprised, magical artifacts chose their bearers, and both his and Loki's magic was the same.

"The master of death" the tone that suddenly broke the otherwise silent atmosphere was cold and calculated, but at the same time so soft when he pronounced each word with care. Like he tested each sibyl and decided that he did not like the taste of them. "Welcome, you have been expected."

Harald blinked slowly, his grip on the staff hardened, and pointed at the still-growing shapes. Whoever this was, the voice had no idea what he was talking about. He was not the Master of Death, and he probably would never be that, something Harald accepted eons ago. But whoever this was, was waiting for the Master of Death, a simple Midgardian, to come here? Something was not right. Had all this perhaps been an accident?

No, it was him they had been lying in ambush for, or rather his aunt. 

But when the giant slowly came within his sight, Harald held back a hissing sound as he recognized precisely who it was. And it was no one good, not at all and far from it, not even a tiny bit. Harald quickly blocked his contact with Loki wholly and changed position slightly to a more defensive stand while the titan, Thanos, came to a stop in front of him.

He knew that this had to be the mad titan; there was no one else it could be. His looming height, built and purplish skin, adorned with dozens of scars that testified to many battles, of what he had emerged victorious. This being was one of the most horrible threats to the universe and a legend.

"You got the wrong person, sorry," Harald replied with a raspy voice; he tried to look behind him if he could get away but still didn't let the titan out of his view.

Thanos now stared down at him with a calm expression, not a bit threatened by the spear pointed directly at his neck. Especially not when Harald only went to his chest and was, in fact, probably not going to get very far if he tried anything. Even the titan's hands were bigger than his head. Harald clenched his teeth, and if there was any time he hated his shortness, it was in situations like these.

The energy around the titan was blazing; it was lashing out and was scary, focused, and directed straight on him. Darkness surrounded the titan like a black hole, and the red tint in the energy told him more about the titan than any world could ever hope to do.

The titan was a murderer on a mission; Harald could literary feel it. The titan was someone that saw killing as a necessary evil to get what he wanted. Whatever that was. But it was probably not something that Harald would like. He needed to focus on trying to escape or avoid getting caught.

"No, I don't believe I have," Thanos said slow, calculated. And with a quick movement that Harald thought should have been impossible for someone of the titans' size, he took a quick step toward him. Thanos latched out his hand and grabbed his spear before Harald could even act on the threat.

Harald sidestepped the titans and struck out with one leg when the staff was stuck in a tight grip. He felt how his legs hit the massive giant arm, the force sent waves of pain up through his leg, but Thanos barely reacted. Harald hissed out a word as his hand lit up in a silver tint, and electricity covered his hands as he gripped on the much larger hand. But the magic was interrupted as Thanos harshly pulled him close, not even bothered by the small shock as his skin was thick.

In the next second, Thanos's other hand shot out like a snake. Harald pulled back as he tried to avoid him, but the purple hand was faster; he got a grip on his hair and held it tightly. Making escaping impossible.

Harald held back a hiss of pain as he charged his free hand again, this time with a hot glowing coating his fist. Hitting the titans side, making him grunt, but his grip did not lose on his hair. What a crappy disadvantage it was with long hair. It was times like this that Harald hated the arrogance and tradition that came with being a royal. If he got out of this alive, he would cut his hair; tradition be damned.

"You have someone that I want, little prince," Thanos grunted out

He said someone, not something. Harald bit down; this was not good, not good at all; who the hell was he talking about? He let the staff disappear from his hand and drew it back only to make the staff reaper again, now free from the titan's hand. Harald threw his hand down in a narrow-angle at the big hand that held him. But even if the titan was massive and huge compared to him, he was almost faster. The purple hand hurled down at him and, this time, pulled the spear right out of Harald's.

"Give her to me."

"I have...n-no idea who you are talking about," Harald grunted out and yelped as the titan pressed his hand down, and thus also Harald, into the ground while he forced his head back—exposing his neck in an unnatural pose.

"Yes, you do, "Thano leaned into his face and stared down at the fae. "She is someone you keep as your slave," he explained coldly.

" What?" Harald hissed at the harsh treatment and grabbed the powerful wrist, and he tried to get away again.

Only to fail.

Harald felt how his head was bent further back at that motion, and he was suddenly afraid that his neck would break, and he bit down a painful hiss that wanted to leave his thought. The feeling of being vulnerable swept over him like a tsunami. He could feel how the ligaments in his neck protested from the harsh treatment his head received and the unnatural position.

" I'm only going to ask you one last time, child," Thanos said as he slowly started to raise his hand, still holding Harald's hair in a stable grip. "Release the goddess of Death from your cruel slavery, and I may perhaps spare one of your loved ones."

Harald bit down on the inside of his cheek as the cold feeling wandered along his spine, and he tried to take a breath, but the unnatural positions made it almost impossible to get some air down to them. Release the Goddess of Death? Harald had no idea who she even was! How could he? he never even heard of that title before. Harald opened his mouth to say something, but then he hesitated. Suddenly there was an idiotic idea that had started to form in his mind, a terrible one. It was such a Thor plan to do, but perhaps he could make it work, probably.

"You…." Harald swallowed around the lump that had stuck in his throat and tried to push moisture into his now dry mouth" You don't know, do ... you?"

The purple titan's face changed slowly, and his eyes narrowed, his grip hardened on Harald's hair as a warning. He could feel parts of his hair being torn from the roots, and the anxious feeling inside him attracted more and more attention from his partner, but he continued to ignore it. The fear spread within him as fast as his determination grew.

"What do I not know, little prince?" Thanos said in a cold warning tone as if he had begun to lose his patience. Good, he needed the titan not thinking clearly, and anger was the best emotion for that.

Harald calmed himself as well as he could because here goes nothing. "Shouldn't you ask your informant about it?"

"Why should I? She would never dare to betray me," the purple titan asked, and Harald could see a second shadow behind him, and his lips drew back in a silent snarl as he recognized her. Of course, she was working for the fucking mad titan. One thing to suspect, but now he had confirmation about her treason.

"Perhaps you are confident in your own beliefs? She doesn't have the best track record of being faithful," Harald asked as he tried to figure out the next part of his plan of action; this was the god damn titan! he was a horrible legend, immortal and powerful, already once tried to take over the universe. Even worse, that made his odds worse, and when he added in his aunt, the scale was tipping further down in the wrong direction. 

"She is good at stabbing people in the back, thou."

That statement earned him a hard punch in the chest. The force from the blow threw him away a few meters and knocked his head against a boulder; his scalp burned where hairs were violently torn off. The sudden burning pain that bloomed in his chest made him almost blind for a second, and his blockage of the bond slipped. And Loki was there right beside him, not in person but in magic and feelings the second the block was gone.

_Do not even dare to ignore me, Harald!_ Loki's snarling voice tore through his already bruised body. Harald tried to force air into his lungs, and once he succeeded, every breath burned, and he could not help the pain even breaking through their connection.

_Harald?_ Loki's voice had suddenly entirely changed from anger to one that dripped with worry.

Harald swore low and forced himself on the side while trying to close the connection again. He could not deal with Loki now; he could not let him distract him from what he needed to do. For no matter how much it tormented him. Thanos was too powerful, and he would be damned if he let the mad titan even lay his hand on his mate. He forced himself to the side and coughed until when the air finally flowed more easily into his lungs.

_Where are you? Are you hurt? Talk to me, Starlight...Don't block me out_

Harald tried to hold back the tears over the raw emotions that tore within him, and he focused on the warm feeling of love that was the basis of Loki's anxiety and rage before he tried to shut him out again. He could not handle Loki's emotions when he had trouble even controlling himself.

_Not now, love_ , he pressed, his magic flaring as he talked to Loki. It felt so warm like they had an unbreakable bond between them, forged by magic and made him stronger. But at the same time, more vulnerable. 

Thanos looked at him over with a calculated gaze, "You don't have any idea of what I'm talking about, do you?" he asked slowly, not exactly expecting Harald to answer him. 

Thanos looked over to the black-haired women behind him, Sigrud, the second born princess and the runts' aunt. He let his eyes travel over the stone-faced women that met his gaze and visibly swallowed. Thanos had early understood that to create a change, unnecessary variables needed to be cut away. Thanos knew the little prince was lying; this tiny excuse to fae had a cloak of death around him, like a warm embrace.

"So lost, struggling with life as you believe it is. I know how it is like to lose," Thanos walked over to him slowly, etch stem making the ground vibrate underneath him. "To feel so desperately that you are right, yet to fail, none the less."

"Who said anything about losing?" Harald breathed out and pulled his hand along his chin, and stared up at the giant. "What I do not understand is what you want."

"What I want?" He chuckled darkly, " I want to tip the cosmic scales back to balance. I want to see peace."

Harald's pupils turned into slits, that did not sound good, not good at all. He could feel how Loki had penetrated the thin barrier he had put him in between them. Harald could both feel and heard the gasp from Loki as the words ran around their minds.

_He is after the infinity stone_ , Said Loki with a low growl. Harald could feel how he moved, but he did not know where. But he could only hope that he was not going to come to him; if his plan succeeded, he would not have to worry. But that was a big if.

_What is that?_ Harald asked; he knew that now was not the time for a lecture. But it sounded as it was necessary knowledge.

He could feel Loki agree with that statement; _it was what Thanos was after last time_

_So rich on information,_ Harald drawled out, _perhaps you need to tell the All-Father_

_No! what I need is to get you the hell out of there,_ Loki snarled, and Harald held back a winch at the rage he felt from his mate. 

Harald stared up at the giant; he had to buy some time. Then perhaps Heimdal could find him in time, "You are not only after the goddess of Death, but you are also after the infinity stones."

"Clever, little prince," Thanos hummed, "I need them to complete her gift."

"So what? Do you commit genocide for a mere shadow?" Harald understood as soon as the words left his mouth that it was the wrong word to say out loud, and a big hand hit him, and he was thrown aside.

"YOU do not know what you are saying" Thanos roared before he realized that he had for a while lost control of his emotions. Losing his cool was not the thing to do right now, yet, the small fae had outlived his use.

With a sickening realization, Harald realized that he was now on thin ice. Sweat dripped down his forehead and stung his eyes, and made his sight dime slightly. He had to do it.

_I'm sorry_ , Harald now said softly to Loki; he could not help but stare at the feet that slowly walked against him. _You are not going to like the next part_

Harald moved his fingers in a sideways motion and sent a cutting spell against the titan's leg. The magic only made a shallow cut, not even enough to draw blood. But it made the giant stop and looked down at his leg and chuckle at the weak attempt.

_What's happening?_ Loki's fear and anxiety grew with each passing second. _What are you planning Harald, hold on... Heimdal is close to finding you... keep staling him_

All Harald now could focus on was each breath he took, trying to empty his mind. The spell had already started to build up inside of him.

_I'm sorry, Lúka,_ he said softly with the old nickname, it felt nice to say something familiar as he started to plan out the runes in his mind, and his fingers had already begun to draw symbols on the ground in blood. The anchor. _If you open the Bifrost, he would have access to Asgard_

_No, no, no, do not- do that! You can't do that... We are there soon. Please don't do it,_ Loki suddenly begged

_Love, you can't reach me in time._ Harald admitted that he didn't want to do this, but he had to, If Thanos planned to make his way through worlds. Not only were the nine realms in danger, but also those who resided inside the realms. And if the Bifrost were open, he would have direct access to his loved ones.

_W..what?_ Loki's voice split as the weight of the words hit him hard. _Y-yes we can_

Harald spat out several mouthfuls of blood while he clenched his chest. He could feel that one of his ribs were broken and probably had punctured one of his lungs if he's breathing was anything to tell from. Harald could hear Loki's words in his head, praying, commanding, and desperate. He swallowed the metallic saliva and turned his head slowly upwards when the giant now stood over him.

Viridian eyes meeting cold amethyst.

" I will not let you plan a universal genocide, Thanos," Harald hissed low to the purple titan. He was so close; he could feel his magic begin to gather in his hand; he would only get one chance. He already had started drawing magic from Loki as his own had started to sin.

"Oh? and you think you can stop me?" Thanos asked, amused. "A mere insect cannot kill me."

_Please, Harald,_ Loki's voice was now pleading, so desperate, and it was so wrong to hear. _Please, Starlight, do not do this, you must wait for me!_.

_I cannot love. He's too strong, and I will never let him get his hands on you or anyone else if I can do anything about it._ Harald felt a shiver go through him as a warning, and he now let their band remain entirely open. But with the lowered shield, he could not prevent his pain from seeping over their connection. He could feel how Loki's heartbeat was painfully fast next to his; even if it was only a phantom feeling, it was calming to feel that he was not alone. Harald felt their magic merge, and he held back a squeaking sound when he felt Loki's grief and pain; he was so desperate, so scared as they both knew what was coming.

_Harald .. love… Please_

He hated it when Loki begged; he should beg to no one, no the least him. Not for the pain he would cause him. Harald tried to smother the feelings out but find that it was almost impossible.

Thano's massive purple hand wrapped around his throat and lifted him. Harald tried to grab his hand, his nails tearing at the hard skin. He needed to hold on for a little while longer; he could not die yet. He worked quickly and desperately with what he was trying to do, letting his spell work waver into the very earth below them and leak out all around him. The titan had yet not understood what he was doing.

Harald stared down at Thano's stern gaze, feeling how his magic now started to resonance with the spell. Energy collecting inside of him, begging to be released and, in turn, making his eyes almost glow.

_No, no, no, no!_

_I love you, In this life and the next._ Harald replied to the painful mantra that echoed between them. Loki's desperate voice. _I will find you again_

He tried to calm himself even though his heart was still racing quite fast. He had learned his lesson from the previous incident and would not make the same mistake twice. He would not let this enemy out of his sight.

"Master! Watch out," Sigrud suddenly yelled as she had felt the spell activate, but she was too late.

Harald magic exploded from his slender and bruised body, hitting Thanos like a wall boxing them both in. Thanos looked around at the now shimmering box of gold that kept them both trapped inside it. He ignored the desperate gluttons for oxygen from the black-haired prince in his gasp, and with his free hand, he touched the wall only to jerk back when a shock hit him, and he looked at it fascinatingly.

"What is this kind of magic?"

Harald felt how his strength started to leave him, and his movement started to get sluggish.

The only thing he now could hear was his fast heartbeat and Loki's screams. He tries to block as much of his pain as possible, but his husband tears every barrier apart before he even could form it.

_Please, I beg you, do not.… Starlight… don't die._

_I'm sorry,_ he ruefully said, and he could feel it. It was like a knife in his spine that twisted. He could feel Loki so close, so, so very close. Harald tries to send a feeling of love and security when his words betray him, and his power slowly begins to seep out. Simultaneously, the barrier solidifies around them—not even noticing the other woman's weak attempts to destroy it from the outside.

_I'm sorry_

Time was running out, and he knew that this was it for him; he knew and welcomed it because it meant that his loved one would not be in direct danger. He knew that one day he would probably repent for his choice. The cold was razor deep, and the darkness was starting to invading him, stripping him of everything living.

Harald could no longer see without the darkness invading his sight, no more extended breath as he was slowly suffocating. And he hated that feeling, The feeling of burning in his lungs, The lack of strength in his body as he slowly faded away, but he had to finish the magic, he had to… But there was one thing he had not taken into consideration when he created the spell.

To keep a soul trapped with this spell, there had to be an equal exchange for keeping it there. He could feel it before he understood his mistake, and by then, it was too late. Magic pulsed out of him simultaneously as a _\- snap-_ was heard within the empty sphere.

Harald did not even feel it happen. He did not even feel it when his soul tore itself out of the already dying body and merged with the golden barrier that now-imprisoned Thanos. The golden box shone in a blinding light before slowly fading out as the body in the Titans gasp became still.

The titan hit hard inside the box, and his mouth moved, but no words came out. He was stuck in a golden prison, but it was only a matter of time before even the most potent magic would begin to deteriorate. Thanos's eyes shone with anger, and his head slammed back in a toneless roar, and not even the witch on the other side could break a soul cage.

* * *

Harry had never felt that kind of pain _ever_ , not even under the cruciate curse; it was impossible to explain the pain that tore his soul in any other way than shattered. He felt his spine bend backward in a strong arc so that it almost broke off in two. He tried to scream out the pain that tore at him, but nothing left his lips. Suddenly it was as if everything just sank in. Finally, the last piece of Harald's soul dissipated and was now becoming fully integrated into Harry's soul. And it _burned._ He felt the memories and knowledge that was not his fall through the damme that now burst inside his mind.

Harry could feel Harald's grief over his decision and, at the same time, the desire to protect the one he loved the most. He had welcomed death with open arms. He remembered how he sent all the magic and knowledge into the soul barrier that had held Thanos captive for centuries. After the time on the outside had not stopped, the wall had weakened as Thanos had been strong enough to break free and destroy the golden cage. Maybe it had been Sigurd's doing, he had no idea, but one thing he knew was that Thanos was now free, and he was angry. 

Thanos wanted to create cosmic balance, but he was destroying the foundation of it.

Harry lay still on the ground and just breathed, glad he could do it again without the burning pain. Cold tears ran down his cheeks as he felt how this memory had been different from all the others; this had been Death opening the gate to everything.

It had not only been Harald inside that body. Harry had the first seat to the memory and felt everything that he had. He had felt Loki's magic plush throw him in that connection that had bonded them together. The one that still was there. The link was from that time when Loki had broken through Sigrud's blockage on Haralds Magic, intertwin both of their magic. That was the sole reason they had this connection; their very soul was one.

Harry let go of a dry laugh. Why was everything so awful complicated when it came to him? he dug his palms against his eyes as the dry laughter died out, leaving him sobbing on the cold floor. He could feel Death still beside him, like a silent sentinel that had watched over him as the memory had played out.

"Come, little one, your destiny awaits you."

Harry suffocated a broken laugh that tore from his throat. _Fuck destiny_. He wanted to throttle that damn thing for meddling in his life. He exhaled haphazardly and sat up slowly. His head thumped as if someone had hit his temple with a hammer, but his thoughts had never been clearer than they were now. He feels like a pawn in someone's sad excuse of survivor's games.

And that game, Harry had enough of from his school years. He had been fighting since he was a child. But he was not only a survivor; He was a warrior, and he would fight for what was his. Slowly he got up from the ground, every muscle in his body screamed in protest, and he could feel how his magical core was overflowing with raw energy.

"You owe me for this," Harry said low to Death, "And you _will_ answer my next question."

"If you have to ask, you will never know. If you know, you only need to ask," Death stood in front of him, waiting, smiling as he waited. Death could feel it in his very own bones. He finally had a worthy candidate; he finally found his true Master.

Harry could feel the energetic atmosphere around the deity without even looking at him. He slowly raised his gaze, and determination shines through his viridian eyes.

"Tell me where Loki is going to be."

Death grinned. That was the right question.

"As you wish, Master."

* * *

It turned out that Death had given him more information than he had asked for, whether it was as a gift of a quiet peace or just because he could, Harry did not know. But he had given him both Loki's place to be and some information on one of the Infinity stones on earth, but Harry got the feeling that there was more than one here. When he found Loki, he had to ask about why they let such a powerful stone on earth.

But that took him back to the discussion that he and his three friends currently had. And Harry blinked stupidly at his best friend as Ron grinned back at him.

"You kidding, right?" Harry asked

"Why not? Think about it, mate. You don't want anyone to know that you are going over to New Pork, right?"

"New _York,"_ Hermione crossing her arms in front of her

"Yeah, that," Ron pointed at Hermione when she corrected him yet again and grinned at her. "So we skip the portkey and take the aro- thingy that my Dad is bonkers over and whips we are in a new country, right?"

"An airplane," Hermione corrected with an amused smile as Ron glared at her this time.

"What about Magic and muggle transportation?" Harry asked a little anxiously and looked from one to the other. "And I'm not the most stable right now; I may have Harald's memory but not his control."

Ron snorted, "Mate, you probably have the best control over your magic since Dumbledor. Probably more so now with your bloody your heritage, and if you don't do anything, then it will probably not interfere."

Harry looked skeptical at him. "And is Magic not related to emotions? I hate to admit it, but I'm not that stable as I was an hour ago" Getting killed and feeling how his loved one was being ripped away from him was a ligament reason for not having his emotions under control, thank you very much.

"Yeah, no one says anything about that. But how would we even get over there if not by that thing? all the international port-keys are heavily monitored, even more in America, they hate surprises from outside their community."

He was right. Harry knew that if they wanted to avoid all the commotion that could arise from them taking an international portkey. Besides, he was not stupid enough to think that it would be easy not to get noticed. But that didn't mean that they would make it easy for them.

"Are you sure that was what Death meant with New York?" Hermione asked hesitantly

"Yes, Loki may not be there right now, but he will end up there shortly. Death was happy to disclose that information before he said he had to go back."

Ron looked pretty hesitant; Death was happy? Why did that feel ominous?. "Perhaps we should come with you?" 

"Absolutely not!" Harry quickly got up from his chair

"Why not? you need all the help you can get"

Hermione nodded and looked at him firmly. "And we do not know if this is the last of your memories; what if you suddenly get more and are in an unsafe place? they have not exactly had a pattern so far."

"I'm pretty sure there are no more memories that will suddenly pop up," Harry defended himself

"That is not enough!" the bushy witch protested. "If a memory hit you and you go under, then there will be no one for you, and then someone would have to contact the hospital or anything, and the government will know that you are there. Or worse, someone bad."

Harry clenched his fists hard and forced himself to relax; they were right, oh what he hated that they were right. He just wanted to get to America as quickly as possible and find Loki and drag him to safety and…. yes, what he would do afterward, he had no idea for the moment. But Harry felt the need to find Loki and be close to him to asure him that he was not going. He was not stupid enough to believe that everything would be as before. But he could hope. Harry grabbed his wrist tightly where the soul mark tickled him, and he closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath. Calmed down the energy gathered around him.

"Alright"

Ron gave a whooping sound, and Hermione nodded, pleased she had already mentally started checking off everything they could need. The two men gave her an amused glance before they looked at each other and shrugged.

"I hate to drag you into this…"

"Let me stop you right there, mate," Ron said as he held up a hand. "You are not dragging us into anything, you are our family, and family helps each other; end of the discussion."

"Besides, after everything you have said about Loki, I want to see if he is really that hot that you have made him out to be" Hermione smiled teasingly. "Or perhaps we will see Thor?"

Harry stared at her in horror, and she blinked back innocently.

"What? the way you talk about him makes him sound like a…"

"God?"

"Yes, why thank you, Ronald" she smiled teasingly at Ron that glared at her with humor. "But I don't think that they are gods."

"You haven't seen Thor's arms yet," Harry muttered underneath his breath. Why had he been reborn into a twig body again?

"What did you say?" Hermione asked and looked at Harry that blinked at her with wide eyes

"Nothing, I said nothing."

"Not what I heard," Ron was now also grinning at him, the feeling around them lighter than before.

"We are not talking about this" Harry hurried and turned around to leave; he did _not_ escape, nope, not at all, he just needed to start packing.

"I would love to see those muscles you have described; I can't believe that anyone has that kind of physic." 

"Right? clearly fake"

_"I'm Out"_ Harry raised his voice and covered his ears before momentarily appearing out of there and in his room where he breathed out. His cheeks were hot, and he could not believe that was happening! But even though he felt very embarrassed, Harry could not help grinning happily as he walked back to his room. He had never had a real family, not in this life at least; he had always been an unwanted stain in his so-called family register; he was nothing but a burden, a freak.

That had changed when he came to Hogwarts and met Hermione and Ron, and not just them. He could now barely keep track of how many he counted as friends and extended family. Some closer than others. But this feeling he felt for Ron and Hermione was what he imageneded it felt to have siblings. Harry smiled as he went to the patio door, which was still ajar, and the darkness outside had brought with it a damp cold. He could hear a hippogriff screaming in the distance, and something black pulled over the dark sky in a night flight. Harrys went out on the balcony and hung over the railing. His gaze was fixed on the stars flashing down towards him, wondering if Asgard was any of these stars? The stars reminded him of his wedding with Loki and their vowes.

_"I do believe in both fate and destiny, but I also believe that we are fated to do the things that we choose to do. And I'd choose you; In a hundred lifetimes, In a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I find you, and I'd choose you. "_

Never had those words been more the same, and Harry looked down at his soul mark and let his fingers slowly caress his skin.

Ironically, his words ran true, he had chosen Loki again, without even hesitation, and he would find him, and whoever hurt him would face his anger. Harry exhaled and felt the icy feeling spread along his spine, something that was becoming both a habit but still annoying.

He felt so powerless; was this how Loki had felt when he gave his life to imprison Thanos? Harry sighed and dropped his head on the cool stone. He felt the sucking sensation in his stomach again and bit together when it almost hurt.

It suddenly ringing noise in his ears made him flinsh and his vision becomes blurred. Harry felt how he tilts slightly to the side as his head suddenly started to throb in pain. Harry held back a scream when it felt like someone was hitting his temple. Suddenly, all the sound around him disappeared, and he could hear it, a dark voice that spoke to him.

**_-The tesseract has awakened-_ **

Harry looked blindly in front of him, but it was as if he could not see through his own eyes. The woods were now gone and replaced with a dark landskape that felt horrible familiar, and he opened his mouth to say anything. But no words left his vocals. A blue cube suddenly came up in his vision as he could not get out of the feeling of it. It was so small and innocent.

It was like there was an entirely new source of energy that was swirling inside of the tiny cube that only waited to get out. Harry wanted to reach out and touch it, but his limbs did not let him. What's this a new kind of memory? It was so different from the other times, or had this something to do with Death?

**_-He is ready to lead. -_ **

Harry tried to see who the hateful voice talked to, but he could only see the ruins of a dark world before him. This was not like the connection he had with Loki. Harry tried to look the otehr way, but he could not move his head. Suddenly he felt that something was pushed in his hand and looked down at the silver spear. Harry could feel his long slender fingers close around the spear's cold metal, but at the same time, it was not his. The staff's energy amplified his emotions. They had no right to cast him out; it was all their fault. And they would soon regret their decision.

Harry tried to drop the vile staff, but his body would not listen to him, hhhe was not the one in control. Instead, he brought the spear up closer to his face, and he could see his reflection in the blue-tinted light. It was not his face that stared into his eyes.

Loki.

He stared at his image and tried to find the warm, emerald green eyes he had fallen in love with within his memory. But the only color that was staring right back at him was an electric blue hue. Loki looked tired, worn, and almost empathetic as if he were just a shell for them to use as they wished. He could feel something tickling in the back of his head, something dark, was it a voice?

Harry felt nausea sway in his stomach, and he forced down the awful feeling that swept over him and heard his voice speak again.

**_-Our forces are prepared to follow him-_ **

He could feel the tiredness and pain in his body as if every muscle had been torn apart and then put back together. His head was no better there. He could suddenly both see and feel the alien-like monsters growling in the background. They were waiting, waiting, waiting, ready to strike, to devour. And there were his to command, finally!

**_-It is Time-_ **

No, No, not going to happen, Harry tried to protest, to run away with Loki's body, but he could not move; he could only obey the voice. He could feel Lokis's current feelings mix with his own. The cold feeling inside of him settled, and he accepted his fate, even embraced it.

**_-The world will be His, and the universe yours, and the humans? They will be forced to burn.-_ **

Harry held his breath as the voice echoed his last words, and he closed his eyes at something he could only explain as horror. His? There was no way that this was a coincidence, not after what Death had shown him. They had to talk about Thanos. Harry had to do something, anything; he had to get Loki away from the man in front of them before it was too late.

A grin adorned Loki's lips, and the blue color sank further into his eyes when the check was complete. Before Harry could even think of anything to do, cold, dead green eyes suddenly stared straight into Harry's, and he gasped in shock, and everything around Harry mingled. Han was thrown back into his mind with a gasp as he clung to the stone railing. They had to get to New York and fast.

Loki was coming to earth and with him an army.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... well, I hope that it was okay. I tried to fix all my errors and thinking about how to do his death right. And I know that Thanos is really powerful and probably would not have been trapped by that, but for the sake of this fic, he is. ;) And I know that the last part probably was a bit.... confusing? Well, it was confusing to write. But right now, Harald and Harry's souls are one no more long memory from the past. 
> 
> Now Harry only has to deal with Loki, and Loki is a mess right now, fun to be in his brain, and with this connection, Harry will have a field day. *Laugh*
> 
> Let the fun begin!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things is not going well for Harry.

"This is bad."

"Say something I do not already know" Harry pulled an irritated hand through his hair and tried to get it out of his face.

"Alright, This whole situation is not good," said Ron, who had his arms crossed over her chest and gave him an annoyed glance but still tried to lighten the mood.

Harry rolled his eyes and rubbed his face. "Thanos, Infiniti stones, and Loki is coming with an army. Did I miss something?"

"Nope," Ron said, popping the 'p' "Wait, yeah, there is actually, perhaps we should mention the end of the world? And, maybe we can add the fact where you go from one impossible thing to another? I don't think this is good for any of us; we are starting to get used to this"

"H-a h-a," Harry drawled, but he could not help the weak smile tug on his lips.

Hermione intervened before they could continue bricking. "But to make it simple, we have to prioritize," she said and took up her wand and started to write in the air; red letters followed her motions. "I believe that the first threat is Loki. We can almost be certain that Thanos doesn't have all the stones, or why would he send Loki here with an army to do the groundwork. Do you know anything about the Infinity stones?" she asked Harry

He nodded. "Not much, but I know that there are six infinity stones that represent elements, and they each control different essential aspects of existence," Harry said as he drew his wand and started to write next to Hermione's letters.

"Space, Reality, Power, Soul, Mind, and Time. As of today, there are only two known beings with immense power that have been able to wield the stones without losing their minds or burn out. The Celestials are an ancient race of vast matter and energy manipulation abilities, and then there is the mad titan, Thanos. We can be certain that he has a stone, but I have no idea which."

Ron visited low and stared at the long-haired male, "not much, you say? I 'am afraid even to know how much is stuffed inside that brain of yours."

"Honestly? I feel the same," Harry said as he looked at the writing; it was strange to know more than he should be. It almost felt like cheating but at the same time felt practically normal. He could now by the certainties say that he and Harald had once been the same person, but now he had… evolved? It felt strange to think it that way, but Harry could not explain it better for himself. He was Harry; he was his person, only a little more extra. And honestly, he didn't feel any significant difference; besides, he had never felt this good for most of his life honestly.

"Alright," Hermione brought Harry back into the present. "Let's assume Harry's transformation is now complete, and the last vision you got was from Loki. But from your description, does it not sound like he was not a place here on earth?"

Harry nodded. "No, it was a ruined world, I think."

"So either he has to travel here in some ship or through a portal?" Hermione hummed

"And do not forget the army!" Ron added helpfully

"Yes, in alien armada. And after Death's words, we can almost guarantee that it will be to New York that they will pop out, the question is just why?" in Hermione

Harry crossed his arms in front of him and tapped lightly with his finger against his arm. "The voice said something about the Tesseract had awakened, and I saw a blue cube. Could that be it?" he asked

"Perhaps" Hermione was silent as she started to write again and line it up before them; neither Ron nor Harry dared to interrupt her now that she began to speed up her writing. "No, I can't see it; there are still so many dark areas," She mused out loud. "So many what if, I don't like this, isn't it anything else that you can tell me about this blur cube?" she turned to Harry that shook his head.

"Didn't think so."

"But what is bothering me is who can control Loki?" Harry said

"Are you sure that he was being controlled?" Ron hesitating asked, "Not to be biased or so, but you haven't seen each other for… many.. many years, eons even."

Harry gritted his teeth and nodded grimly. "I'm sure, and It didn't feel like Loki; this doesn't feel right," He said and hit himself in the chest. "This connection that we have, it is by magic, our magic is intertwined with each other, and right now is …. "Harry couldn't find his words for the next part. It was a feeling he got that things were not as they should be. Separation or not, someone was controlling Loki.

"Bloody hell," Ron grunted out, "Any more world-shaking things we forgot to bring up while we're still discussing this?"

Harry looked at him, annoyed now by his statement, "Well, excuse me, the universe seems to hate that I exist."

"I'm pretty sure that it is only the Norns that hate you, mate, not the universe," Harry snorted; that was probably true.

Suddenly it was as if everything around Harry was slowing down, and he felt it before he suddenly saw a lightning-like object fill his field of vision. The sudden dizzy feeling in his stomach and the bile that rises in his throat was the second thing he registered as it felt like his intestines all were inside out.

A massive blue shockwave hit Harry's vision, and he could not hold back the painful scream that tore from his throat. He fell to his knees and pressed his palms against his eyes that burned like the fires of hell. It almost felt like his eyes were burning out from their sockets as waves of blue energy pulsed inside the lids and slipping into every little dead space it could find. He felt the surge of satisfaction and the thrill of the hun, something that was not his emotion, and this time the feelings were rawer.

"Harry!?"

"What happened? what did you see?"

"I….I think they come here with portable?" Harry said in a dark, raw voice, his magic stretched along with Loki via their connection, which now burned like fire, but he got no response. Just a thick wall, but something significant had just happened. 

"That's it; you are not going to go there alone," Hermione said and picked up a hairband that Harry had forgotten on the table. She pulled up her hair in a messy bun

Ron groaned. "We have to get to New Youk, right now, ain't we?"

The women nodded, "Yes, grab your bags, boys, we leave in an hour" they had a god to rescue, and perhaps afterward, they could start planning their wedding. And Hermione hoped that Harry would let them have the reception in the manor, especially after this whole ordeal.

* * *

Harry had never been to an airport before, and he could almost feel how all of his nerves were crawling inside of him and trying to get a hold of him. Neither he nor Harald had been any good in huge crowds and parties; they both had been satisfied to stay by the side and watch it all happen.

And here? Well, this was a considerable crowd; even if no one looked at him twice, it made his skin crawl, and he wanted nothing else than get the bloody hell out of there. How could he even have been thinking that this had been a good idea, that once in his life, something would have been easy?

It all had been so simple as they had planned it; he had grown up together with muggles; he knew how to act and dress. Ron did not. So Hermione had a hard time controlling her fiancé's hyper questions and actions. Harry had to try hard to hold back his amusement about the whole thing; he didn't need an angry woman on his heels scowling at him because he enjoyed seeing her trying to handle the situation. But one thing was for sure, Arthur would be so jealous when they came back from this trip. If he ever would come back, right now, Harry wasn't so sure as he stared outside the wide window.

How naive could he be? Amerika was halfway over the world; it would at least take them 10 hours to get there. Harry was silently freaking out inside. It should all be so simple, pick up the passports, gets on a plane in their disguises, and then be on their merry ways and save his wayward dream-man.

But Harry was silently freaking out inside.

Not only were they on a tight schedule, no, but he was also freaking out even harder when he saw one of the planes that stood on the railroad. Wide green eyes were as stuck on the beast the muggle called an airplane. How did that thing even stay up in the air? There was no way that it was aerodynamic enough even to lift.

Harry was very close right now to asking Hermione if he could not take his broom over there and be done with this. Because there was _no way_ he would ever be able to put a foot into that death trap, he was unstable enough as it was, placing him in a plane that looked like it was running on technology.

...Yeah… No, that was not going to happen, nix, never, and no way.

He even felt the need to say he was sorry to Loki, even if he could not be heard over the bond. Harry could feel him here, but at the same time not? It still was like a significant blockage on their combined magic. Perhaps Loki was only that angry with him? Harry held back and groan; maybe Loki didn't want anything to do with him.

He had been an idiot when Harald had tried to stall the gigantic walking grapefruit that time. Perhaps he had made everything worse by going to New York; he should stay put, stay back in the mansion and never go out again; he could go for a run and visit the centaurs. Perhaps play a little with the foals and run freely and never get on that plane.

Harry could feel the wall inside his mind starting to shrink, boxing him in as he imagined himself inside the plane. He felt the whole world suddenly spin, and he caught himself from falling with one hand against the cold window in front of him. Harry felt the cold from the window act, almost like a grounding for him. He breathed in and out slowly before closing his eyes again, the coolness from the glass spreading along with his fingers, and he shuddered.

Harry could feel the cold so clearly, the smooth surface under his fingertips and not the rough floorboards or the uneven mattress he usually calls a bed. He was there longer, and he was no longer under the stairs, trapped and isolated from the outside world. Harry was no longer a little scared child who did not know better; he was no longer trapped in a box. But he still could feel the need to escape, it was making his heart pound hard in his chest, and a cold sweat breaks out over his skin. He wanted so badly to escape reality, escape all his must, all his needs, and what-ifs that his life was clouded in. He wanted to feel safe, wanted to be loved, have his family close, and learn how to relax. Not looking over his shoulder like everybody and anyone would stab him in the back.

But there was no escaping his luck. Harry knew that, and he had started to hate the fact that he would never feel the safety he so desperately wanted. Yes, he was the Master of Death, which meant that he could not die, as Death would never let him go. But his body could still experience the pain; he would always feel it happen thou, live it, and then when his body gave up, he would be brought back like a snap or so Death had told him.

The darkness that swirled inside of him, feasted on his negative emotion, purred at his misfortune and fears. And If he didn't hate the mess up place, they called the world he did now. Harry loved the sky. He loved to fly and feel free, the wind underneath his arms, rumbling his hair, and the pure embodiment of happiness souring inside of him.

But this was neither. The bloody thing in front of him was a death trap, and Harry never even wanted to put a foot inside one before as he had never been allowed to come with the Dursleys on their vacations. Now he was pleased about it because that would have been a nightmare come true.

Harry clenched his fist against the glass and laid his forehead against the surface instead, ignoring the fact that he was guaranteed to soil the otherwise clean plastered glass. The people around him ignored him, and he was grateful for people who were about nothing but avoiding others who seemed to have problems. Do not see, do not exist. And this time, Harry was actually happy with that particular human nature; he would not be able to keep his panic at bay if someone asked him about it.

Harry exhaled slowly and straightened up. He felt how his instincts and senses started to warn him about someone who was focusing its intention on him, and he turned around to see Hermione pull a hilariously enough, blonde wonderstruck Ron after her. Her steps were fast and determined, with her bag tossed over her shoulder and a light brown leather jacket fluttering every step she took. She had transformed her hair into a redder strawberry shade and put it up in a tight donut in her neck. None of them had any significant luggage to move around more efficiently, and Harry was not the type of person to splurge when it came to money.

But they had all agreed that they needed a disguise; Harry had not required much of his camouflage as he had already changed his appearance, thanks to his heritage. But his black hair was now up in a high ponytail, and the hippogriff feather was proudly stuck in the side braid that had not yet gone out. He fixed his clothes, tight trousers, and a shirt hidden under a light jacket. His eyes had already taken on a deep viridian color, no longer the emerald his mother had, and a little makeup over his scars and his disguise was complete. The more precautions, the better, and wouldn't Moody be proud of them now? Constant vigilance! No one would ever think he was Harry Potter if he did not make himself known.

But something never changed. Harry may not need his wand as the Master of the Deathly Hallows and reincarnated as a fae, but he still doesn't wholly trust the wandless strange magic to come to him effortlessly. So he still had his faithful wand tucked on his persona and a purse of money beside it that would automatically transform galleons to muggle valuta. He disliked spending money on things like this.

But when it came to other necessary things, he could consider it an investment, and this time he had bought something of a luxury item. Harry gripped his necklace with a resigned sight and felt the magic plush underneath his palm where his emergency trunk was hidden. It had cost a small fortune as it had its pocket dimension in it and with it everything he would need on this adventure.

Hermione had already booked flights from Heathrow Airport to LaGuardia in New York, and the flight would take ten hours. It feels too long, honestly. Harry tried again to stretch out over the magical connection yet again, only to be met by the now-familiar rock-hard wall. He felt hurt, there was so much anger inside him, and Harry was sure that it was not only his anger that was bubbling underneath his skin.

He was too familiar with the feeling of range, it was like the feeling was a long-time friend, and the more he was pushing down, the harder it pushed back. Sometimes it scared him, this _darkness_ that was inside of him. But then he remembered that it was nothing to be afraid of, It was what hiding in the darkness you had to be wary of, and this time, it was his fears.

"Here you go," Hermione said and gave him his passport and ticket, and Harry stared down at it. He sighed and shook his head.

"I can't, Herms," he said firmly, and with the shifting face of the women, he explained himself before she could blow a gasket, "It is my magic. _I can't_ keep it under control."

"Yes, we know that you can control it, Harry; you only need to believe in yourself. It is only for a few hours," She protested

Harry gave off a low chuckling. "But that is it. I don't believe that I will be fine in those tight spaces, Hermione," he said and looked at the plane again and shrugged. Nope, he still felt sick only by the sight of the death trap. He could not contain his magic. He clenched his fist, and a beeping sound was heard from the nearest machine made him glare at the device before Harry gave Hermione a meaningful glance.

Both his companions were silent at the pop, and a man in front of the display started to hit the now fried motto, and Hermione sighed heavily.

"Alright, then what?" she sounded tired, on the verge of annoyance, and Harry felt how he collapsed a little, but he really could not expose himself to that, or them. It had to be another way. He could not apparat over there, that would be too dangerous, and he indeed would cause more of a scene than anything else. A sting of pain hit his head, and he blinked in surprise when a memory suddenly came up. 

**~*`+'*~**

_Harald blinked at him slowly, "I beg your pardon, you do what now?"_

_Loki rolled his eyes, "Don't overreact; it is not that bad, starlight."_

_The smaller male raised an elegant brow and stared at the other magician, "And here I thought I heard you said that you used Yggdrasil as a backdoor into the other worlds."_

_Loki smirked. "You heard right, congratulation love, your hearing is still magnificent as ever."_

_Harald scoffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest, "Stop it, you idiot. You can't just go walking along the branches to other worlds; it is too dangerous, that is what Bifros is for anyway."_

_"It is not dangerous if you believe in it," he protested, still with that shit-eating grin plastered on his face._

_Harald looked at him suspiciously as the black-haired prince smiled and held his hands clasped behind his back. "So, you found a shortcut in the world tree, and you can walk around it?_

_"Yes, love"_

_Harald wanted to say that it was impossible, but this was Loki they were talking about. If anyone could find a lope hole in anything, it was him. But this? world walking? That was another level of lope hole, and he would lie if he didn't say that he was curious about his mates' finding._

_"Alright, show me."_

_Loki grin pleased, "With pleasure."_

**~*`+'*~**

Harry blinked and stared in front of him, the memory disappeared as fast as it came, and he felt the dizziness that came after, but it was manageable and nearly non-existent. He did not faint or be gone for more than a few seconds; not even Hermione or Ron had noticed that anything had happened. Harry held back a pleased grin that could challenge Lokis.

"I think that I what to do," he said to them. "I remember Loki showing Harald how to walk on the world branches."

"Kickers mate, you remember what now?" It was Ron's turn to stare at him like he had lost his mind, and that was probably what had happened anyway.

"The Yggdrasil, you know, the tree that is a legend to hold up the nine worlds, connecting them through branches and is powered by the universe…"

"Aah, alright, stop, _stop._ You don't need to go all professor on me; I bloody know what the tree is," Ron protested and glared slightly at Hermione as it was her fault that she forced him to read up on the Norse mythology after they understood that Harry once had been one. He swore that he would never pick up a book that complex ever again because reading about a species that once was thought of as gods were hard. But bloody hell, walk the branches? The book didn't say anything about that.

Harry laughed low and scratched his neck "right… "

"So, you think that you can do it? you are not exactly him, you know," Hermione intervened before Ron could say anything else." And can you take us with you?

"Yeah, I believe that I can; it is more like finding the feeling and seeing the portals," And he was going to make it one way or the other; there was no way he even stepped on the plane like that if he could help it. But he shook his head to Hermione's last question. "I don't know right now, and I would not want to risk it. I need to do it the first time alone to get the feeling of it all. Come on guys, I will meet you up at the airport in no time, I will scoop out the surroundings, and we are ready to go as soon as you land. Trust me" 

"Alright, mate" Ron put an arm around Hermione's shoulders, he was hesitant too, but if Harry thought he could do it, then he would. That said, Ron had stopped being amazed at what his best mate could do. It was easier that way, and he would not be gray before he is 30, "We will trust you on this,"

Hermione was still staring at him, and Harry firmly raised his head; he could do this.

"Alright, but If you are not there when we land, Harry James Potter, I swear that I will make your life a living hell, and that is a promise," She threatened

Harry laughed softly and heard them shouting through the loudspeakers that it was time for them to board the plane, and he put on his passport and tickets. "See you when you arrive."

If he were lucky, nothing would happen. He saw them both disappear into the crowd and exhaled before he wiped his sweaty hands on his shirt. He needed to find a quiet place where no people were moving around.

It took a while, but he managed to find a less used part of the airport. Chairs had been screwed up from the ground, and dirt smiled under some seats. It looked like part of the wall needed repairing, and maybe that's why it was deserted here? Harry looked around and slipped under the barrier. He already had a Not- me-not spell on him so that no muggles eyes got stuck on him but rather looked past.

But to be on the safe side, he slipped into a toilet and looked around, the light turned on automatically when he went in, and empty booth doors stood wide open, so he was sure there was no one there. He shook his hands when he felt them begin to tremble with excitement. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. A hand was raised in front of him, and he tried to imagine the opening, tried to feel it. And as soon as Harry could the magic around him, the energy more or less vibrated under his fingertips.

He could see the golden threads that enveloped reality, and he tried to concentrate on it when his head exploded, and the darkness was all around him. He could feel the sickening feeling of something creeping down his throat, soft and gooey, and he wanted nothing else than to throw up. Harry blinked; he was sure that he was still awake, and his eyes were opened, but he no longer saw the bathroom's white walls. 

Instead, he could see soft dust of snow flying around in a dark world and suddenly _feel_ the biting cold nibbled at his cheeks. It took him only a heartbeat to understand that he no longer was in England; he had been transported where Loki indeed was. Not in body, but still, he was there with the other magician, seeing what he was seeing, feeling what he was feeling. Harry's gaze was quickly fixed on the first movement he could see in the dark.

**"The Chitauri grows anxious,"** The dark clothed man said

The man's voice came from all directions simultaneously, hoarse, trailing, and above all, it was so cold. It was as if every word was chosen and dripped with impatience, the suffocating feeling tightened at his throat, and he grimaced and rubbed his neck only to stiffen and stare down at his transparent hand. His head rose when a familiar figure suddenly stepped out of the shadows. His attitude just as he remembered, proud, and dignified as only a person of high birth learned. The jet black hair was stripped and pulled slick back; his eyes were like two black poles, no longer holding the warmth he had grown used to.

**"I'm going to lead them to a glorious battle"** Loki's voice cut through Harry's body like a razor; it was a tone completely different from the one he remembers from his memories.

He was allowed to hold back and not throw himself forward in pure joy and horror when he finally took in his whole dream man's face and hated what he saw. He had never seen Loki like this; his entire face was suddenly tense with a wave of underlying anger in his features. As if his face frowned too much. He could see twitches himself through his arms and a slight crick in his neck. His face looked awful, and his cheeks were more sunken and created a sharper cheekbone. Loki, overall, seemed hard and worn, not even close to the young, handsome man in from his memories.

How long had he been gone for Loki to fall this far? What had happened, and why had Thor not been there and protected him? It was so clear that something was wrong that it cut into him. Harry stretched his magic again, almost desperate to feel that this was his Loki, that it was not too late.

_Loki..._

Green-blue eyes were suddenly fixed on him; for a second, they were looking at him in amazement before it disappeared, and a deep frown married Lokis face yet again.

**"…. and your question is? Questioning the one who put that scepter in your hand?"** The unnamed man asked with a drawl out voice.

Loki's face did not show that he felt anything, but he stared at the horrible voice owner. The irritation within Loki grew, and with it the anger; the darkness almost swirled around him, and his eyes darkened.

**"He who gave you new knowledge, new intentions, when you were defeated and left to die."**

**"I was a king! The rightful King of Asgard and they betrayed ME,"** Loki shouted and struck out with his hand violently; this creature doubted him? Doubted that he could not carry out his mission. He would show them everything; he would show them all that he could do anything better than anyone else could even dream of. He would show them that Loki of Asgard was still the rightful king, and then he would free them all from their weak will.

**"Your ambition is scarce and childish .... We look beyond the Earth, to the greater world, the new world that the tesseract reveals…"** The dark armored man walked forward, threatening and staring down at Loki, who stared back stubbornly, but no words left his lips when he bared his teeth in a sneer.

Harry stared at the interaction before him and had now noticed a shift in Loki's skin, it almost took on an abnormal light blue tone, barely visible in the dim light, and he first thought his eyes were playing a prank on him. The energy around Loki was different; it was cold and more primal when he pulled his lips back in an almost feral snarl.

**"If you fail, of the Tesseract is kept from is, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no writing where you can forget yourself from us. You think you feel pain? You do not even know what the word means."**

The dark man disappeared, Leaving Loki and Harry there alone. Slowly Harry could see how the tension leaked away from Loki's shoulders, and his blue eyes slowly turned around to where Harry was, and yet, he could not focus on him.

**"I know that you are still here, phantom, even if I can't see you,** " Loki's cold and smooth voice said. **"Did you enjoy the show? here to gloat like everyone else is doing these days?"**

_No, I would never Loki... I'm..._

Harry immediately saw that Loki heard him; his eyes narrowed dangerously, and the horrible snarl was back on his face. **"Do not speak to me like we are familiar; you are beneath me. Now BE GONE!"**

The next second, strong blue magic hit Harry, and he gasped for breath as he was tossed away and back into his body. He gasped for breath, and every breath burned like a thousand needles, and his head screamed at the sudden backlash he got from the magic. Harry staggered and grabbed the sink and gasped for air. His head ached, and his heartbeat almost painfully. The cold that spread within him made his whole body shake. What the hell was that? Harry shook his head slightly to get rid of the cotton-like feeling that resided between his ears, and his muscles protested in the movement.

It took a while, but slowly the tremors began to subside, and his breathing became more manageable. The lights above him flashed as if they were about to explode and go off, and Harry was more than happy with his decision to go to an abandoned part. He exhaled slowly before straightening. His gaze was fixed on his reflection, and he could see how his eyes shone in a sickening light blue hue before he forced himself to blink, and they were green yet again.

At least two things were inevitable, he had gotten in touch with Loki for the first time, and Loki had absolutely no idea who he was, and Harry had not had a chance to tell him either. But he was also sure that whatever Loki was planning on doing, time was short; And Harry was pretty sure that they did not have 10 hours before whatever Loki planned would happen; it would happen tonight, whatever he was planning on doing.

Harry dropped his hand from the sink and shook them to get the blood pumping again; he could do this. He had to succeed, and there was no chance he would leave Loki in ttthe grip of ttthat maddd man. Harry raised his hand in front of him, gaze now focused, and he only needed to feel the energy in the air to stick his fingers through the golden threads and pulled his hand down in a light motion.

He focused on where he wanted to open a pocket, and he saw how the air in front of him shimmered and seemed to almost split and unfold. In the opening, he saw an equal space that he was now in, but the walls were in a horrible mint green color and no one around.

Harry took one last deep breath before holding his breath and stepping through the opening and disappearing from the now-abandoned toilet and the gate closing itself after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, a short chapter this time because I have had a truly awful, horrible and emotional week. Do you think there is a rock huge enough that I can hide underneath for a while? I do not want to deal with reality right now * sigh *. Thank god for fan fiction.
> 
> I put in a little claustrophobia for Harry, because hell, who would not have some phobia from growing up under a damn staircase? He will not have much trouble with this all of the time but combine it with the first time riding a plane; anyone would be skittish. And you didn't think that I would make their reunion an easy one, did you now?


	12. 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Murphys law is the truth. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter have been beta by the amazing Wisx!

~`*´~`*´~ `*´~`*´~ 

Harry _hated_ travelling by magical means. 

There was no doubt about it anymore; how could he keep ignoring it? The fact was staring him right in his face! It almost made Harry laugh, and he would have done just that if his mouth were not firmly shut, keeping the vile bile that was rebelling against him down in his stomach. 

He could honestly say that he hated it with a burning passion from Helheim itself – this method included - as like every other type of magical transportation, this one left him feeling sick and unsteady. If he had to compare the feeling to something, then world-walking was quite similar to how being thrown in a washing machine and then wrung out to dry on a racket probably felt. Combine that lovely feeling, with the sensation of being dropped from 10 000ft in between the washing and drying sessions, and the entire ordeal became so much worse. 

Yeah, he could certainly say that he hated it. 

The moment his feet had touched the bathroom floor, as he stumbled out of the portal, gravity had tripped him over, and he ended up kissing the ground. Harry held back the giggling sound that threatened to come out, as the notion of success invaded him amidst his other strange feelings. Walking on the pathway was almost like stepping on some kind of foam. His feet had been steadily moving forward, but at the same time, it felt like they were made of sponges. It was a bizarre experience, especially considering that he only had to take two steps through the opening before landing on the floor in what he believed was a New York airport. 

Harry's whole world spun, and he forced his head between his legs in a weak attempt to ground himself. Yep, this was it. He should have expected the dizzying sickness that now overtook him. Harry would kill Loki when he got his hands on him; there was no way that the trickster would have forgotten to tell him that little detail. But on the bright side, now Harry knew that magic transport in any of its forms, didn't, and probably would never, agree with him. 

When his head finally stopped spinning, Harry felt that he once again had a steady grip on reality. He swallowed the horrible taste that had infested his mouth, before rising to his feet and exhaling. Harry closed his eyes. He could feel the difference in the energy swirling around him, clashing against his senses like waves on a beach. It was foreign, yet still had that same tingling feeling that it had in England. 

Did this same energy connect the world? If he wanted to travel to another realm, could he do it using this? It was said that there was a grimoire, the Book of Mimers, that explained the connection in more detail. But from what Harry could dig out from Harald's memories, he knew that, thanks to the Yggdrasil, there were only two known types of connections between the nine realms. 

One was a direct connection, like a teleportation method with one door that could open and close at will, allowing the opener to travel to any place they wanted. The user needed to know how to open up the portal and direct the energy to where it was supposed to go. It was

probably this connection that Loki had stumbled upon in his youth. Loki had called it a 'shortcut,’ but in reality, it was more like an unstable bridge between realms. 

Harry remembered vaguely that it had something to do with the world's ley lines and the energy in question. Both Harald and Loki had been creatures of magic so they could tap into that kind of power. The question was if any Æsir could tap into the energy with training, or was it perhaps a trait that only Seiðr could inherit? He had never heard of any others doing this, not even the all-mother, who was seen as one of the most skilled Seiðr Harald had known at that time. 

Both Harald and Loki could do it apparently without a problem; perhaps it was a Seiðmann thing. Although there weren't many of them to begin with, and there weren't many scholars that could see it as a benefit to try and find the long lost grimoire of Mimers. Especially not when practicing magic was seen as a feminine trait and considered unmanly. However, that 

had never stopped Harald's parents from loving him or made them shun him for it, yet, sadly, the same could not be said for Loki's position back on Asgard. Reminded of what he was thinking about, Harry remembered the other functional path, the second way to use the pathways, a more indirect energy connection. 

The Bifrost. 

It had only one permanent foci point that could open a temporary portal to any destination of the guardian's choosing. Once the portal had faded, usually within seconds of arrival, it could not be summoned directly, and it required a cool-down period. 

But, there was a catch. If the permanent connection lost its stability and foci point, only dark magic could reactivate the link. And the more time between arrival and departure, the more dark magic required to open it back up at the same origin if the foci were not there, directing. There was a reason why dark magic was forbidden. However, not even Loki knew what the fallout of using that kind of magic would be. Besides, only the Allfather was known to have the power needed to control the amount of dark magic necessary to force the connection open. 

Not that this was anything Harry had to worry about in the near future. The Bifrost was not going to break, and the Asgardians would continue to find excuses to throw banquets and drink. Nevertheless, if Heimdall were watching over the nine realms, why hadn't Asgard done anything to stop Loki or sent Thor to stop him before this whole thing got out of hand. 

That made Harry pause; why hadn't Asgard done something about this mess? He looked up at his reflection in the dirty mirror, watching how his pupils dilated, and an odd feeling appeared in his chest as another question emerged. Why and how had Thanos got his hand on Loki in the first place, and how could he control him? Loki was a _prince of Asgard,_ for Merlin's sake. There was no way someone could walk into the halls and poison Loki's mind without anyone noticing and then deem him a mad man without any proof. 

Harry stared at his reflection as the fact sunk in; he gritted his teeth harshly as a slow, simmering anger started to boil beneath his skin. Dark feelings begun to slip into his mind like snakes that slithered over his memories, and brought with them cold and hatred. Harry

suddenly felt the emotions snap; the sound of the shattering shards of the mirror evaded his senses as it splintered into a hundred small pieces. 

Pain spread through him, pulling his consciousness right back, and he cradled his now bleeding hand closer to his chest as he stared at the broken mirror. The feeling that had invaded him was not his own. Whatever this darkness was, it came from the connection, from Loki. 

Harry hissed and cast a silent ‘ _reparo’_ on the mirror, watching as it mended itself, then he looked down at his bleeding hand and decided to let it be. He needed the raw feeling of pain to ground him at the moment. Whatever was going on with Loki right now was making the connection flare, and it was almost like it was trying to drag him away from his mind. 

To not raise any questions over the blood that was dripping down his hand, Harry at least made the wounds coagulate, and looked over the raw cuts, checking that there was no glass in them. When he found none, he turned around and walked out of the bathroom. 

There was nothing he could do here, and besides, he had a shit-ton of things on his to-do list before Ron and Hermione were due. He pulled a hand through his hair, which had now been completely released from prison. The midnight black hair framed his face as he tied it up in a messy bun, his hands trembling as he did. 

Whoever it was that was messing with Loki, Thanos, or anyone else, would not be spared if he had anything to say about it. There was nothing, _nothing_ , that could be done to make him forgive whoever had corrupted his mate's mind; he would get his revenge. But one thing at a time, first, he needed to find that trickster god, then he could go off on his crusade for vengeance. 

Harry looked around as he noticed more people walking in a hurry and talking loudly to each other. He could see a big screen above his head telling everyone when particular planes would land and take off, so he noticed the flight that Ron and Hermione were on would not be here anytime soon, just as he thought. Harry went over to the nearest information point, picked up a free brochure and a map, and began to look them over.

Honestly, Harry had always wanted to travel around and do some sight-seeing. America had always been at the top of his list. Everyone had talked about the big country over the sea and said that you had to visit it at least once in your life. But after all of this, perhaps he could go elsewhere. Bring Loki with him so that they could...talk things out… Maybe Los Angeles, or Nova Scotia? He heard that it was a beautiful place at this time of the year. 

Harry stared down at the map. He had so many things he needed to do, yet he had no idea where to start. It would take Ron and Hermione around 10 hours or so to get here, and if there was one thing Harry knew, it was that there was no way in the nine realms he could stay put for that long. Harry nibbled on his thumb as his head was filled with all kinds of different possibilities and thoughts. 

He needed to figure out what to do right now. What if something more had happened to Loki than the darkness that was leaking through their connection? What if this invasion occurred

before they had a chance to stop him? What if he wasn't strong enough to help Loki? Harry immediately shook his head at that thought; even if he weren't, he would do everything he could. 

One thing was for sure; he wouldn't be able to wait here. Harry had never been someone to sit and do nothing; if his body couldn't work, then his brain would take over. And the last thing he wanted was to be left alone with only his thoughts and memories for company. 

Harry mentally snorted at his thinking as he walked among the muggles. It wasn't a bad thing honestly; he could suddenly process a lot of information simultaneously. It was as if his brain had upgraded to a Harry 2.0 version or something, probably after his 'awakening', but then again, it didn't matter. There were still too many 'what ifs' for his liking. It was like opening a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. You never knew what you were going to get before you chewed on it, and then it was too late to do anything about it. 

He rubbed his neck as he suddenly felt a glace directed at him. Harry let his viridian-green eyes sweep over the crowd of muggles. His gaze landed on a group of women, who, as soon as he looked at them, turned away with low gasps and looked at each other, tittering. Harry frowned a little awkwardly and withdrew, the feeling of someone looking at him sweeping over him yet again as he did. Maybe he should put on a disguise? What if someone had recognized him already and was on their way to report it to the government? 

In the end, Harry decided against it and only used a simple notice-me-not. Suddenly, his magic started to tingle without warning, and soon after, there was a pull on the connection that made him jerk to the side in both surprise and pain. It was like Loki was there one second and then gone the next, and it was sending his core into a frenzied fit. Like Loki was calling on him, and then second-guessed himself and slammed the connection shut again. 

That's another thing Harry had to figure out. What had happened to split their connection like this? What had held them together from the beginning? If he was the reincarnation of Harald, why was it all happening right now and not before? And why were his memories like they were? Coming and going as they wanted. Even now, Harry could feel how broken his mind was, how it almost felt like his soul still wasn't whole. Not his to use. 

His magic itched all over his body, and he could not get rid of the feeling of danger that was rising inside of him. Harry turned towards the exit; he could easily get back before their plane landed. And besides, maybe he could search for useful information and see if he could find any clues about what was happening. 

With a determined smile, he let his feet take him out of there, and as soon as the automatic glass doors closed behind him, a whole new world opened up to him. At least that was how it felt for him. After staying away from people and significant places in general after the war, London was the only 'big city' he had had any experience with before New York. 

So there was absolutely nothing that could prepare him for the sight that met him outside the airport's protective doors. As soon as he was out, he started to walk. The sound of engines was everywhere. People argued and shouted at each other, and others held up their hands to call over taxis.

Harry decided he could start his search more quickly if he took the bus into the big city. Yet, as he stared at the transportation, he could not help but hesitate for just a second. He wasn't stupid, he knew how it worked, but there was a difference between knowing the theoretical aspect of something and the hands-on life experience. All his knowledge about buses, as the Dursleys had never given him any money to ride one before, was based on the knight bus. And that particular form of magical transportation, had not made a great impression; it had been quite a bumpy ride.

Inside, the bus was full of muggles, and the air was almost suffocating with an odd smell that made his already rebellious stomach cringle. He swept his eyes over the masses before sitting down in an empty seat. 

Harry felt a cold shiver slide down his spine, his eyes narrowing as the shiver travelled through him. He fixed his gaze on the outside world as he tried to sense anything else, but he could only register a slight flicker of magic that licked his skin the wrong way. However, perhaps it was not him feeling it. He had been feeling the broken connection he had with Loki open and close all afternoon, and he could still feel that sucking feeling behind his navel even now. What the hell was Loki doing? 

As the bus rolled away, Harry felt the feeling - dimmed, but not unnoticeable - of being watched yet again. Once the bus crossed a large bridge, he could see how the city grew in front of him, and the feeling of being watched disappeared entirely, like it never had been there; Harry would be lying if he said it didn't almost make him freak out. It was better to feel something than the numbness that was setting in.

Muggles littered the sidewalks as they went about their day, motor vehicles pressed together like sardines in a box. He could see people shouting at each other and making crude hand gestures when someone forced themselves into a tight spot. 

Still, he would not let his guard down, and he could not enjoy his first glimpse of the large high-rise buildings that welcomed him. The more central the bus went, the bigger the billboards and neon signs became. Muggles adorned every little road on their way to and from their destinations. Harry followed the stream of people with his gaze before pushing himself against the window and trying to see the top of the large high-rise buildings with a small smile. 

Suddenly, he could feel a cold sweat break out on the nape of his neck, and he instinctively stiffened. They had been traveling without stopping for a while now, and he knew that this was not his anxiety talking, and this time, there was no reaction from Loki. So it had to be his instincts, warning him about an immediate danger. 

The question was who, or what was making his magic go on high alert. Harry's hand came to rest on his wand, his skin had now started to crawl, and his muscles shivered. Harry stared down at his arms and frowned at his behavior. It was like his senses knew something he didn't and were trying to warn him.

Harry looked up with his gaze again. He couldn't stay on the bus; here, he would be a sitting

duck if anything happened. Not only that, all the muggles would get in the way. So at the next stop, he jumped off and quickly joined the stream of people without another thought. The smell of greasy food hit his now heightened senses, and exhaust fumes and perfume stood out in the crowd as he cast a new wandless _notice-me-not._

Harry could feel the intensity of his magic increase and swore lowly. He pushed past people, and some shouted angrily after him but were ignored. Was it perhaps MACUSA? Harry shot down that thought fast; it couldn't be them. He hadn't used his wand here, and it was the wand magic the government usually tracked. And, as he didn't take an international portkey, there was no chance of him having popped up on their radar. 

But still, the fact was that _someone_ was following him. 

Harry could feel a headache start to build behind his eyes as his senses were beginning to overload, but he needed to do this if he wanted to have a chance to catch whoever was following him. Could he apparate? No, that was far too dangerous in an area like this; he would surely draw attention to him after that. And if MACUSA weren't aware that he was here now, they would be then. 

Harry's breathing became rough as he slowly inhaled and exhaled, trying to find out what the hell was going on. He put a hand on his chest and pressed it hard into the fabric, it was like his body had a mind of its own, and his mind had lost control. He couldn't continue like this. 

He looked out upon the muggles again and willed his heart to slow down, forcing his body to relax, to breathe. He could hear talking and laughing; someone was arguing nearby and he could hear snippets of news anchors talking about a team of superheroes in Germany. 

The stalker was close. 

Harry swore softly and went out into the crowd of muggles again; he had to get the hell out of here, and fast. He started to walk with more force, ignoring if he bumped into more people by doing so. He turned into a larger opening between the buildings and walked into a large indoor shopping center.

This was not what he had planned when he set out to find information. Damn his Potter luck; this was the last thing he needed. _Why_ did fate hate him so? Harry walked as fast as he could to get through it all when a sudden shock went through him, and he spun around quickly with wide, open eyes. His hand rapidly pulled out his wand, ready to protect himself from the danger that had suddenly appeared right behind him. 

Murphy proved himself right yet again, as his law rang true even to this moment; what could go wrong, would. In his case, the whole situation was spiraling fast. He felt how his magic boiled underneath his skin, and it was a wonder that he hadn't lost control over it yet. 

Harry clenched his jaw hard as his eyes landed on the only person sticking out like a sore thumb amongst the other muggles. He could feel the dark energy pour out of her, enveloping

her, and making the areas around her lithe body much colder and darker. 

The woman was wearing an elegant and most-definitely expensive, black pencil skirt that matched her curvy body shape. A white blouse was elegantly tucked into the waistband, and a black jacket, that was only buttoned under her breasts, hung around her shoulders. Her hair was tightly set in a bun, and around her neck hung a beautiful piece of gold jewellery. She was what one might call an exotic beauty, and Harry had no idea who she was. But, this was the source that had been following him and making his magic go haywire. Light-blue eyes now stared straight into his own and a smile spread on her blood-red lips, making Harry's blood freeze in his veins. 

The pain inside his brain suddenly spiked, and Harry could feel dread invade his very soul. He - _knew-_ this woman; he knew exactly who she was and why his instincts had warned him about her. 

The realization made his tongue swell in his mouth, and not a single sound managed to leave his vocal cords. He closed his eyes when he felt how his magic was being thrown out of him. TV screens in shop windows began to flicker, people looked at their phones in annoyance when they stopped working all of a sudden, and glass panes began to shake. 

Suddenly, it was like everything around him was too loud. Harry could hear every freaking thing, and the light was almost blinding as his magic spiked, making everything around them explode. People started to scream in fright, feet were running away from the impact, and the sparking of the electronics' fried circuits made a dramatic conclusion to the chaos around them. 

Harry tried to get air into his lungs, but it felt like they had turned to stone together with his body that refused to move even an inch. He could only stare at the woman who was now studying him with a curious look that soon turned into a darker one, like all the color had drained from them and amusement had turned cold. There was no doubt about it; his instincts and magic had recognized the threat she posed to him without Harry himself realizing it. 

"Well, would you look at that." The woman's voice was smooth and had an undertone that Harry could only compare to small bells. If he didn't had such bad history with her, he would indeed have found it pleasant. 

Now, it only sent painful flashes along his nerves. 

"I knew you were alive; how could I not?" The woman continued, not having noticed the state her appearance had left Harry in. She took a step forward, and Harry felt how his body suddenly, automatically, moved back to put more distance between them. 

"I felt your magic come from Loki hours ago, I'm still surprised that it had leaked through him, but I'm glad that it did." 

Harry could taste his fear on the tip of his tongue, and he had never felt this kind of dread before. It was like his heart was trying to explode inside his chest; not even when he walked

to his death at Voldemort's hand had he felt like this. This was a completely different type of fear. It was more profound; it was rooted in his very soul. 

The woman stopped, and the smile suddenly showed a row of perfect, white teeth as she took in his reaction and chuckled. 

“What is this? Are you afraid of little old me?” She tilted her head to the side and put a finger to her chin as if she were thinking about something. 

“You are a hard one to kill, aren't you, my dear Harald? You are like one of those Midgardian animals, a cockroach? Yes, a cockroach, you would stay still and be crushed." She shook her head, hair bouncing as she did, "you should have stayed dead; it would have been so much better for you. But then again, I know that my master was very impressed with your.... trick." She made a face as if she had eaten something vile. 

Harry tried to open his mouth to say something, anything, but nothing came out of his vocal cords. He could feel the walls closing in on him. The tingling in his limbs was increasing; it felt like a thousand needles stuck into his skin, every little nerve agitated, and an unnatural wind began to circle him. His eyes had assumed an almost neon green hue, and suddenly his magic pulsed outward more strongly than ever before. 

"If it were up to me, you would be dead before your pretty head could even understand what happened," she spoke as if nothing had happened and Harry's magic wasn't going out of control right in front of her. 

Windows exploded outwards; people continued screaming out in the street and running around from the new, invisible threat. The light above them blew out with a simple pulse of his magic, and the woman laughed, delighted by the show that was happening in front of her. 

She was _thriving_ in his fears. 

“What is this? You have always been one for dramatics, but has a cat got your tongue?" She looked at him in amusement, ignoring the chaos around them. "Are you not even going to say anything to me, sweetie?"

Harry forced himself to take a deeper breath; his head felt like it was miles away from his body. However, he finally started to get a grip of himself; he was not the same as before. He was no longer Harald; he was Harry, the boy who lived, who had been in a war and come out on top of it. He could handle a simple, psychopathic woman he once called family; he would not let her win. 

"Even that husband of yours was more fun to look at as he struggled with his insanity." Harry blinked. What? 

"Oh? a reaction!" The woman grinned delightedly. "Yes, yes, of course! You both are so tightly bonded to each other." Her smile turned more deadly. "I remember how he pleaded

for you each night as he was plagued with nightmares. Begging you not to leave him, to stay," she sighed, "you broke his fragile, little heart." 

"What... have you done?" Harry forced out, but his words were ignored. 

"I have to thank you though, without your so-called sacrifice, I would never have had the chance to sew the seed of insanity in him." 

It felt like the air inside his lungs had now also turned to ice. Each breath was forced out, raw and painful. He could not let her words get to him. Loki was alive; they could fix this. Whatever she had done, they could fix it. 

Probably. 

Harry took another slow, deep breath; his gaze, filled with panic a moment ago, was now full of determination. 

"Tell me where Loki is, Sigrud," he heard himself say, like they weren't his own words. He moistened his dry lips. He could handle this. Everything was different this time; he was no longer the same. 

Sigrud laughed at his words, "and pray tell, why would I do that?" She asked, crossing her arms under her breasts. "You are not going to get to him either way." 

Harry felt his head starting to come back more, as he gained control over his mind and body. "No more games," his wand was now held in front of him, ready to blast her into oblivion, 

The smile slowly disappeared from the lips of the black-haired beauty but stopped before it disappeared completely. "I never play games," Sigrud said with a shrug, "I only make an observation, and you, are in a dire position." They were now alone in the mall; sirens could be heard outside the broken window but were ignored by them both. 

“Says who? I'm no longer the person I was before,” Harry shot back, the words came more freely now, and he no longer was stuck inside his fears. He could do this; he had to. 

"Oh, I can see that." Sigrud held out her hand, and Harry could see a spell forming on her lips. He was ready to start the fight. 

"But it matters little. You are still going to die by my hand after I get what I need." Sigrud's smile deepened into a disgusting sneer. 

Harry was ready to get over with this whole damn thing and get Loki back from wherever he was. And when he did, he would give that demi-god a piece of his mind for all the trouble he had found him in. But before Harry could even think of a spell or even what action to take, his head started to throb in pain and the sucking sensation he had been feeling for a while now, built up inside his stomach. 

His whole world was suddenly turned upside down and inside out simultaneously as he felt a

second heart beating in his chest, and all the air left his lungs as the attack from Sigrud came towards him fast. Harry made his body dodge it but, at that moment, lost his footing and tumbled away. He could feel how Loki's magic enveloped him. It called to him like nothing before ever had, and he now recognized the warning that the feeling gave him about what would happen. 

Harry's eyes widened in shock at the bad timing, _no, no, no,_ this could _not_ be happening right now. 

Harry took a staggering step back and brought a hand up to his head to try to prevent what he knew was coming. Loki could not be serious; he could not do it right now. Harry tried to hold his wand in front of him and tried to fire a spell to duel his aunt as she now had started to shoot at him again.

He tried to ignore the soul calling his mate was doing. He felt terrible for doing it, but this was possibly the worst possible moment to go soul searching for Loki or whatever it was called. But Harry had never felt this powerful attraction before, this painful plea for stability, for something to hold on to, to make him whole again. It was a mental pain that made his stomach turn inside out. 

Harry could not remember if he was vomiting or not, but the taste invaded his tongue in any case, and his vision darkened. It was like his magic was screaming at him for something that could remove this pain that was pulsating through his tired body. Another flash of pain, and this time his vision went white. Harry took a step back, his body feeling lighter, and with a shaky sigh, he tried to focus on the danger in front of him, but the pull was getting harder and harder to resist. 

Before Harry knew it, he had fallen to the ground, and the last thing he saw was a pair of red, high-heeled shoes walking towards him, and a mischievous laugh echoed in his ears. The final thought he had was how Hermione would kill him if he survived this situation, then the darkness closed in around him, and he fell into the connection of his soul mate.

~`*´~`*´~ `*´~`*´~ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all my lovely readers! Im sorry for going MIA on you all for some weeks. It was not voluntary :/ but after life took another turn in to reality, we got a new explosion on the island of a particularly horrible virus which we all know by now. And I ,who work as a nurse ,had to work a little bit extra overtime to balance it all up. We are in the middle of infection tracking at work, so there are tests right and left right now so I can't hold on to a weekly update. But! the next chapter is almost done so you won't be haning for to long :D 
> 
> AND! on another note, the awful aunt of his finally has a name! haha took her long enough. And of course she would disturb Harry's hunt for Loki :3 untill next time my lovely readers! Stay safe and hold on, we will get over this shit too.

**Author's Note:**

> ~*`Forget Me Nots´*~
> 
> They represents the  
> Immortal love we have  
> for those who go  
> before us.
> 
> So what do you think? Found it in the deepest part of my computer and dragged it up to the surface. I think this plot is pretty cute. I have already been viewing it all. It should be a mini-story with around ten chapters. It is going to be a fast-pace romantic story with both smut and fluff so buckle up.


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